My Life as Hyuga Hinata
by TFK-fan118
Summary: I guess my life will return to normal now that I'm out of the hospital! But what were my parents talking about? Wait a minute! I'm back in Naruto's world! Not AGAIN! Why can't I have MY OWN BODY? Sequel to My Life as Haruno Sakura. Revision complete.
1. Chapter 1

"BANZAI!" I yelled as I jumped into the swimming pool. I felt the water hit my body. It felt as though a lot up it shot up my nose. It didn't feel good. I quickly stood up, surfacing. Coughing and sputtering I rubbed at my face.

"Hey! Hey! Hey!" my mother called to me sounding both worried and annoyed. "You know you can't swim! Stop being so reckless!"

"It's okay, mom!" I said, pushing myself out of the water. It was the shallow end, of course. I sat at the edge with my feet in the water. "I can _almost_ swim under water."

"Almost...?" my mom muttered.

"Its okay, Ishikari-san!" Ichiro announced, patting my mom's shoulder. "I'll protect her!"

"Not with those wimpy arms!" I giggled.

"Yeah, we all know who's the strongest in the group," Megumi said, popping her head out of the water; how she heard that... I don't even want to know.

"Yeah, but she's also the dumbest!" Ichiro grumbled.

"Don't be jealous!" I said, sticking my tongue out.

I began to walk over to my mother while Ichiro walked to the swimming pool, grumbling about 'stupid girls and their smart brains.' He could be so immature... just like me! Kyoko couldn't be here for my birthday party because her family was moving. I was sad that I heard she was moving away! I didn't know until after I got out of the hospital which was two months ago! Well anyway, I'm 13 today! Yippie! We're going to celebrate at my favorite restrurant when we're done with swimming! "Mom, look at me! I'm about to jump in the deep end!" I called over to my mom.

"Don't you dare!" she yelled out.

"Relax! I was just joking!" I said. Chuckling a bit, I began to walk over to her, but this tall guy bumped into me when he ran by, knocking me into the water! The last thing I heard before hitting the water was my mom calling out my name. Water rushed into my mouth, so of course I started to panic like crazy! I opened my eyes to see water all around me making me panic more. _"No... I can't die like this!"_ I thought as I felt my body sinking further down; when it comes to water I'm just a lead weight. I suddenly saw a bright white light. _"Oh no! I have to move away from the light! I can't die this young!" _I thought, trying to swim away though, it seemed like it was pulling me in. The next thing I know, my body feels light, so light even though I still feel myself sinking.

0-0

"Forget about us," Kiba said, sitting up a little. "You better worry about yourself, Hinata."

"What do you mean?" Hinata asked.

"Only six left, just you and Chouji, Neji, Lee, and then there are those two from the sound and sand villages," Kiba explained. "Listen to me—be smart! If they put you in with that guy from the sand village... you have to forfeit the match. Same with Neji. Be smart and just walk away. Trust me, he will be merciless. He would destroy you."

"All right, we'll now pick the names for the next match," Hayate said. Everyone stared at the screen that decided the matches.

When the names stopped flashing, it said Hinata Hyuga VS Neji Hyuga. Hinata looked at the screen with a scared expression. _"Hinata..."_ Kurenai thought, watching her student.

_"This should be an interesting match indeed,"_ the Hokage thought always watching. Hinata and Neji walked to the center of the room; they faced each other.

"I never thought I would have to face you," Neji said.

"Neither did I... brother," Hinata said.

"What did she call him?" Sakura said.

"Brother...? Those two are brother and sister?" Naruto said looking down at the two.

"They come from Konoha's oldest noble family, the Hyuga Clan," Kakashi explained. "But they aren't siblings."

"Then how are they related?" Sakura asked.

"They're most likely cousins," Kakashi answered. Suddenly, Hinata's head started hurting, she tried to act like it was nothing, but the pain was almost unbearable!

Hinata fell to the ground groaning in pain, clutching her head. Hayate, unsure of what to do, called out to her. "Are you okay?" he asked. The Hyuga stood, clutching her head. Her expression was fixed into a grimace.

"Do I _look_ okay?" she asked. "Where did this headache come from?"

_"Hinata...? Since when does she talk like that?"_ Kurenai thought.

"Okay then, you may start when ready," Hayate said.

_"First I have to figure out where the hell I am,"_ Hinata thought. Eyes darted to and fro. Pale eyes widen in slight horror. _"Isn't that…?"_ She looked down at her hands. They were light in complexion—pale. _"Oh what? Not again!"_ The girl almost threw her hands up in frustration. It had only been two months since the last time this happened! Just who the hell was she now?

**My body… Wh-Why ha-have you taken over my bo-body?**

_"What the—Hinata? Hyuga Hinata."_

**Y-Yes...?**

_"No flipping way!"_

**Who are yo-you?**

_"My name is Mayu… I'm not sure what's going on, but I'll try to explain at a later time."_ Lavender eyes focused on the person in front of her. Hyuga Neji—he was staring her down. Also, his lips were moving, but she opted not to pay attention. Judging from the surroundings, Mayu deduced that she was in the chuunin exam as Hinata. And for some reason, Hinata was still here. Actually, she didn't really understand how this whole thing worked in the first place. Surely, thinking about it would give her a headache. ****

"Were you listening?" Neji's voice snapped her out her musings. Mayu blinked, and then averted her eyes. For now, she had to pretend to be Hinata. Once the coast was clear, then she could figure out the important things.

"I-I'm sorry... I w-wasn't l-listening _um_... brother…" Mayu stuttered out, messing with her coat. She mentally rolled her eyes. Who knew it was so hard to force a speech impediment?

"I was giving you _advice._" His voice sounded icy. Mayu had to make herself not roll her eyes. She had forgotten how similar Sasuke and Neji were when the Hyuga was first introduced. Instead, her eyes looked towards the ground. She fiddled with the coat again.

"A-Advice...?"

"Hinata, listen to me!" Neji's voice rose, making the girl look up at him. "Withdraw now! You know you were never meant to be a ninja." It was getting increasingly hard to pretend to be the meek kunoichi that Hinata was.

_"What? Say that to my face you girly man!"_ Mayu thought, but on the outside she tried to act calm.

**M-Mayu-san... please calm down.**

"You're too kind and gentle, you seek harmony," Neji continued. "And avoid conflict, you allow yourself to be easily swayed by others. Admit it! You have no confidence, you feel inferior to everyone else here. It would have been simpler if you just stayed a genin. But to register for the chuunin exams you needed a team of three people. You never even wanted to take part in these exams but Shino and Kiba did. You couldn't bear to let your teammates down... could you?"

_"Breathe in… breathe out… Breathe in… breathe out!"_ Mayu chanted in her mind. However, it did not seem to work. She mentally growled out, and then spoke to her 'alter ego.' _"Hinata, do you actually let him say stuff like that to you?"_

**He… There's a re-reason for his words to-towards me.**

"Bro-Brother... y-you h-have absolutely... n-no idea what I w-want," Mayu tried to keep the volume of her voice down. "Y-You h-have n-no right to say t-thing like t-that. I wanted... to be s-stronger. I wanted t-to change. That's w-why I did it. I did it for m-me."

"Hinata, you are the pampered offspring of the Hyuga's main branch," Neji said. "People can't change no matter how hard they try."

"Y-You... say that but-" Mayu began, doing her best to stay in character, but Neji interrupted her.

"They can't run away from their true nature," he said. "A failure will always be a failure."

"_I am about to lose it on your cousin, Hinata!"_

**M-Mayu-san…**

_"Okay, okay! Calm down… I just won't listen anymore. Problem solved!"_ Mayu thought. _  
_

**Since you d-don't want to hear him... could you explain w-why you're here?**

_"Well, actually I don't know how I got here!"_ Mayu thought, frowning. _"Last time I was in Sakura's body... I'm surprised she didn't die."_ Her gaze shifted up to Sakura. Her hair was short and pink, but she was alive. _"I guess she came back to her body when I went back to mine."_

**Y-You were in Sakura-san's body?**

_"Yeah, but no one knew... besides Sasuke,"_ Mayu told her. _"I wonder if he remembers."_

**T-Then why a-am I s-still here?**

_"Honestly, I don't know... Sakura didn't go into my body when I was in hers so... I just don't know."_

"Byakugan!" Neji's voice interrupted the thoughts of the two girls. Mayu looked up to see that Neji's eyes had changed!

She quickly covered her mouth to stop the scream that threatened to come out. _"God! Hinata, your bloodline is scary as hell!" _Mayu thought, looking away from his eyes. _"My heart can't take this!"_ She looked down, and then stared at Neji. However, he was still giving off his cold hard stare. _"Oh man, he's still staring! I know you're adorable and all Hinata, but dang!"_

**Y-You think I'm a-adorable? **

_"Of course! And so do a lot of other people!"_ Mayu thought. _"My friend Ichiro is one of your biggest fans!"_

**T-Thank you... Mayu-san.**

"THAT DOES IT!" Naruto's voice reached Mayu's/Hinata's ears making her look up. "WHO GAVE YOU THE RIGHT TO TELL HER WHAT SHE CAN AND CAN'T BE? GO ON, HINATA! SHOW THIS GUY HE'S WRONG!"

**N-Naruto-kun...!**

_"He's right, Hinata!"_ Mayu told her. _"You're going to fight him. I wanted to teach him a lesson of my own but... I want you to get him!"_

**B-But how... do I?**

_"Uh... hold on... let me just try something..."_

**"All right! It worked!"** now it was Mayu's voice in Hinata's mind.

_"How d-did you m-m-manage t-that?"_

**I just pictured myself in my own body.**

"HINATA! You're just gonna stand there and take that!" Naruto yelled. "Do something! You're driving me crazy!"

**Well, Hinata?**

_"You're both right,"_ Hinata thought, bowing her head slightly. _"Both of you... thank you!"_ Her gentle eyes suddenly looked determined. She almost glared at her cousin.

"If you don't forfeit the match... you know what will happen."

_"I won't runaway!"_ Hinata thought, making various hand signs. _"...Never again... No more hiding!"_ She stopped making hand signs. "Byakugan!" she shouted; her eyes changed too. She got into her fighting stance. "Defend yourself... my brother!"

**Yeah Hinata! Show him what real girl power is all about!**

Neji also got into his fighting stance and activated his Byakugan. "Very well, then!" he said. Then at the same time they raced towards each other! Burst of Chakra emitted from their hands each time an attempt of causing injury was made. Hinata saw an opening and went for it.

_"Now!"_ She launched her palm forward, barely striking Neji's side. The older Hyuga frowned, and then stepped back. Hinata stepped forward in response. For a moment or two, the two cousins merely stared at one another.

**Hinata! You're doing great, but I want to try something! Ehehehe…!**

Slowly, the Hyuga heir backed away. _"O-Okay, what do you suggest?"_ she thought.

**Just think of yourself as a spirit!**

_"Are you sure?"_ Hinata thought, but followed he instructions none the less.

_"Ha! It worked!"_ Mayu thought.

**What are you planning?**

_"You'll see. teehee!"_ Her mental grin seemed evil, causing Hinata to shudder.

"HINATA! YOU SHOW HIM!" Naruto yelled.

_"Her stance!"_ Lee thought, watching _Hinata_ intensively. _"Her stance has changed a little!"_ _Hinata_ continued to back up, and then suddenly she charged at Neji!

_"What is she thinking?"_ Neji thought. _"I can easily counter her attack if she keeps charging like that."_

"Okay, force the Chakra into your feet!" Mayu thought, still running. She remembered the chakra control exercises. This was going to help her immensely. Had she not learned while in Sakura's body, she would have been in a world of pain. Once she was close enough, Neji had lashed out, only his attack didn't hit. Hinata was gone from in front of him.

_"I see..."_ Kakashi thought. _"She forced more than enough of Chakra to her feet to jump up and behind him."_

"Never let your opponent get behind you," Mayu whispered, and then grinned. "Hidden Leaf Ancient Taijutsu Supreme Technique!" Her pointed hand sign collided with Neji's rump! "A thousand years of pain!" Screaming, Neji shot into the air, grabbing his behind! He crashed into the ground, groaning loudly. Snickers filled the building. Mayu had tried to be serious, but the snickers only made her fall in a fit of giggles. She held her aching sides because she was laughing so hard. _"No! I change what I said before... it is way more funny when it's done to someone like Neji!"_ She tried to calm herself down. The girl stood up, covering her mouth in an attempt to stop the laughter. _"I'm gonna do that Sasuke! Hehehehehe!"_ After picturing doing the same to Sasuke, she had another fit of laughter.

"Hinata!" With a grimace on his face, Neji finally stood. He was both embarrassed and in pain. "Why… Why did you do that?" Oh, there was some anger in there, too. But Mayu only shook her head. She had stopped laughing, but the grin would not leave her face.

"Simple really," she answered. "Your reaction was well worth it!" She then obnoxiously laughed out again. Clearly, this was making Neji pissed off. He began to charge at her again. "Oh no! Ru-Run away!" Still giggling, Mayu took off, hands in the air. The spectators watched this happen, looking back and forth. Many sweated nervously at the antics of the two Hyuga.

"Does Hinata seem… a little off to you?" Sakura murmured. Naruto narrowed his eyes, but did not answer. He was sure he hadn't talked to Hinata in the past. But there was something strangely familiar about her actions right now. His blue eyes glanced over at Sakura, and then back to the kunoichi who continuously evaded Neji.

"_I can't put my finger on it…"_ he thought, frowning.__

**You're so fast, Mayu-san!**

_"Yeah, I'm using your speed combined with mine to get away from him."_ By this time, she had stopped giggling. However, she still was running away from Neji. He was still angry about it. Talk about holding a grudge! __

**Yes, but when will I be able to fight him again?**

_"So, you're _that_ anxious, huh?"_ Mayu thought. She smirked and headed for the wall. Using her chakra, she ran up the wall and then pushed herself away, flipping over Hyuga Neji. She performed several back flips to put more distance in between them. Satisfied with the distance, she stood up straight, arms outstretched in a mock Hyuga stance. _"Fine, I'll do what I wanted to do now."_ Mayu charged at Neji again. This time, she relied only on her own speed. _"This is gonna hurt!"_ Smirking, Neji thrust his palm forward, striking her chest.

"He got her?" Naruto exclaimed.

"So this is the full extent... of the main branch's strength?" Neji said as Mayu coughed up blood in her hands. This couldn't be healthy… She squeezed her eyes shut. But it was necessary. She looked up, forcing herself to grin. As expected, Neji's eyes widen in surprise. He was stunned that she could make that expression in her current state. Mayu backed up a little and, with a swipe of her arm, threw her blood into his eyes! Neji grunted in pain as he tried wiping the blood from his eyes, but it was already in. Mayu took this time to gather most of her Chakra at her feet. Like a bullet, she shot into the air.

_"Hinata let herself get attacked on purpose...?"_ Kakashi thought, watching the girl as she started to descend. He noticed the hands signs for the Clone Jutsu right away. _"Why that jutsu?"_

Suddenly, a cloud a smoke appeared right next to Hinata. When it disappeared it revealed a clone of the Hyuga. However, what gasped many to gasp in surprise was the clone's color design. True, the clone looked _exactly_ like Hinata. However, its Byakugan eyes were blue. It's hair was darker than Hinata's—black. And the skin—that was even odder. Instead of the creamy shade of pale, the clone's skin was darker—a medium shade of brown.

"_Blue eyes… dark skin…! I know this… Ishikari?"_ The Hokage watched, stunned, as the two descended.

"Hinata! Grab my hands!" Mayu said. Hinata nodded and did what she was told. The two started spinning like a wheel. The two were getting closer to the ground. "Hinata's secret technique!" Mayu started. She swung with Hinata one last time so that she could hit Neji with the heel of her foot. But Neji moved back slightly and she missed. She wasn't done yet, though. The two girls quickly attacked him, using the Gentle Fist as offensive. Neji almost dodged them but it was hit a couple times. Both girls brought their hand back—Hinata, her right and Mayu, her left. The two attacked his chest area, pushing Neji back. He soared, and then crashed into the wall behind him. "Double Trouble Combo!" This time, the two spoke in unison. Hinata covered her mouth and blushed.

"YEAH! Hinata, that was so _cool_~!" Naruto shouted, making the timid girl's blush increase.

"Tell him you got that idea from watching him," Mayu whispered.

"_Um_... I got that from watching you, Naruto-kun!" Hinata said.

"_Haha_! She got that from me!" Naruto said. "You hear that Sakura-chan? I'm already inspiring others!" He blinked several times before focusing on Hinata's clone. _"But what's with her clone?"_ he thought in confusion. _"It looks perfectly normal except for the color. I thought Hinata could do the jutsu perfectly."_

Neji struggled to stand. _"This can't be right! Her clone's attacks were real! I felt every single one of them,"_ he thought, and then coughed up the things that **were** in his stomach.

"No way! Hinata actually made Neji-" Lee started.

"-Throw up! Way to go Hinata!" Naruto finished.

_"Hinata... have you've been holding out this entire time?"_ Kurenai thought. _"And that clone..."_

"And I'm out!" Mayu said, giving a victory sign and then disappeared in puff of smoke.

_"Thank you, Mayu-san,"_ Hinata thought.

**No problem! Now it's your turn to show your stuff!**

_"I was going to wait to use this, but Hinata has proved to be stronger than I expected her to be,"_ Neji thought. _"I have to finish this quickly." _He finally got back to his feet and back into his fighting stance.

"Neji... I'll say this once more... Defend yourself!" Hinata almost exclaimed. The two cousins dashed at each other again, preparing for the clash. They collided in a flurry of palm strikes. Minutes passed by, and yet neither looked ready to stop. _"I can do this...!"_ Hinata thought. Her eyes darted all over Neji's body, trying to find some kind of opening... However, Neji wasn't a genius for nothing. He had effectively hidden any openings as soon as she found them. Finally, there was one that he didn't cover. She had one chance to get it. _"There!"_ Unfortunately, her switch from defensive to offensive caused an opening in her guard. Neji saw the opening and went for it. Silence fell upon the two as their stood, frozen. They only stared at one another. Finally, a reaction to their strikes happened. The two Hyuga gagged and coughed up blood.

"They both got each other at the same time!" Naruto exclaimed. Neji glared, feeling his blood slide down his chin. Hinata shouldn't have been able to do that! Then again, she shouldn't have been able to do a lot of the things she did in this match. He actually felt a bit tired from fighting her. Hinata panted out as she stared back at her cousin.

_"Not yet!"_ she thought. The heir shoved Neji's arm away, and then she attacked again. But this time Neji caught her hand and poked her in the arm she was attacking with. The kunoichi's eyes widen. Her panting increased. Her frantic expression was the polar opposite of Neji's calm one. He knew he had one—both of them knew. Neji pulled back Hinata's sleeve and revealed her arm, which had red marks on it. The kunoichi grimaced. "Y-You... mean... this whole time?"

"That's right… I can detect the Tenketsu," Neji confirmed.

"Wh-What's he saying?" Naruto asked.

"Along the keirakukei that we spoke of earlier, there are 361 Chakra points... no larger than the prick of a pin," Kakashi began to explain. "These nodes are called Tenketsu... and in theory, if you can hit them accurately... you can halt the flow of the enemy's Chakra, of enhance it, controlling it in any way you wish. But while we're on the topic, let me add... these tenketsu... They're undetectable, even to my Sharingan eye. And regardless of having the sight, to be able to do it in the heat of battle—perceive so accurately and..."

Suddenly, Neji pushed Hinata back and she landed a couple feet away. "Hinata... though I must say that you put up a fight... this is the unalterable difference in strength..." he began. "This is the distinction that separates the elite from the failure. _Withdraw_!"

"I... n-never go back..." Hinata, although feeling her body weakening, struggled to stand back up. "On my word..."

_"Hinata..."_ Naruto thought.

"Because... that's my nindo—my ninja way, _too_!" Hinata finished. She fully stood, determined look back in her eyes. Her gaze shifted up, settling on the blond shinobi. He reared his head back, amazed.

"Whoa! Hinata..." Naruto murmured. "Man, she's got guts!"

"She's a lot like you," Lee remarked.

"Yeah... I've noticed that she's always watching you, Naruto..." Sakura said.

"What?" Naruto said dumbfounded. _"Hinata…" _ Hinata reactivated her Byakugan.

"Bring it on..." Neji said, doing the same. However, before she could do anything else, Hinata hacked up more blood. She held her stomach as the blood hit the floor.

**Hinata, can you go on?**

_"Yes... I will not give in,"_ she answered.

"Hang in there, Hinata!" Naruto shouted.

_"Naruto...!"_ Hinata thought. She could not help the smile that fell into place.__The Hyuga heir was suddenly struck, causing her head to spring back. She fell, but she just got back up again. Once more, the kunoichi spit out blood, but she refused to give up.

**Hinata...**

_"Yes..."_ Hinata nodded. _"Naruto-kun... I've been watching you for such a long time..."_ Hinata thought. _"But now, at last, you're watching me!"_

Neji suddenly struck her heart area. Hinata froze and then fell forward. "Don't you know when to quit?" he asked once she made the impact with the floor. "You are a failure and will remain that way." Without remorse, he began to walk away.

"That was Neji's masterstroke. It targets the heart," Gai said. "It's a pity, but that girl can no longer move."

"Seeing as the match cannot go on, I-" Hayate began. He stopped short because he was interrupted.

"No! Don't stop it!" Naruto yelled. He didn't care that Sakura had begun to yell at him. All he wanted was for Hinata to stand. She had to get back up. "Don't underestimate her!" It surprised everyone when the kunoichi actually stood. Her body shook she was still standing.

"Why are you getting up?" Neji asked. His eyebrow twitched. "If you push tpo hard, you really will die..."

_"It's because of the person I admired for so long... is watching me,"_ Hinata answered in thought. _"I won't look un-cool in front of him!"_ She gasped, clutched her arm."Th-This isn't over yet!" Hinata said.

"You're not fooling anyone... I can see that it's taking all of your strength just to stand," Neji stated. "You were burdened from birth with the destiny of the Hyuga clan's main branch... You've hated and punished yourself for your own weakness... But you can't fight your nature... or change our fate. But you need not suffer any more. Be at peace!"

"But you're wrong, brother," Hinata said, shaking her head. "I can see it now... it's you who are torn and suffering—caught between the destinies of the main branch and the side branch of our clan!" Suddenly, Neji activated his Byakugan and started charging at Hinata.

"Neji...! The match is already over!" Hayate said, but the angry Hyuga ignored the proctor.

"THE _HELL_ IT IS!" _Hinata_ yelled, shocking everyone as she, too, charged towards Neji. Not expecting this, the Hyuga halted. _Hinata, _however, kept going. "_SHAZAAM_!" she yelled, punching her opponent. The force behind the impact caused Neji to slide back, holding his nose.

_"Hinata...!"_ Kurenai thought. _"Just when I was about to stop him... she pulls this?"_

"Hinata is a lot more than I expected..." Kakashi thought. _"She kinda reminds me of Sakura back when we were fighting Zabuza..."_

**M-Mayu-san! W-Why?**

_"I thought you could use a break so I took over... now rest!"_ Mayu thought. _"While I'm in control, your body seems good. I will fight Neji for all the things that he said about you!"_

**You don't have to...**

_"Believe me when I say I want to! He's been working my nerves ever since I got here! Don't tell me not to do this, Hinata!"_ Mayu thought. With her hands clenched at her sides, she gave Neji a heated stare. "On your feet! This is round two!"

_"How can she still move let alone attack?"_ Neji thought. He took his hands away from his face. Blood covered his palms. Damn—did she break his nose? How had she strong enough to do that? _"And her eyes... the look is different... almost blood lust...?"_ Mayu unzipped the jacket she was wearing and threw it to the side.

"I am sick and tired of hearing your voice, Neji!" Mayu shouted, pointing a finger. She scoffed and shook her head. "You are so bitter, and I'm getting tired of your fate is answer! Insulting people just because they might be slightly weaker? You have only succeeded in making me angry."

"Hinata, stop putting on this act! You and I both know that your injuries are serious. I think it would be best if you give-"

"You're out of time, Neji!" Mayu said. She smirked, lowering her arm. "I've had all my life to run and hid…" She bowed her head slightly, smirk ever present on her face. "Now that I have a chance, I'm going to step up." She lifted her head. "And you're the one that's going to _back down._ Remember this moment, Neji. Because this is the moment that you made Hyuga Hinata snap and break. So step up and get ready to face the floor!" Her foot shifted back as her fingers curled in front of her. "Let's _do_ this!"


	2. Chapter 2

Mayu slowly breathed out. She needed to control herself. It wasn't wise to head into battle with a hot head. Neji was an asshole, but he was a _strong_ asshole. Okay, that just sounded wrong… She mentally shook her head, and then focused on her Hyuga opponent. He was fast, but not as fast he _could_ be. Right now, he was a genius, but not a super genius as he had been in his fight with Naruto. Perhaps she couldn't beat him, but she could _take_ him. Mayu hadn't been just sitting on her butt since the last time she was here. She vigorously trained to get stronger. However, she hadn't expected to wind up here again.

She closed her eyes for a brief moment. Ah well… Now wasn't the time to ponder her dilemma. What she needed was to figure out a way to best Neji. She was satisfied that she had humiliated him, but what he had said to Hinata pissed her off, so now she wouldn't be happy until he was beaten to a pulp. Mayu rushed forward, deciding to come up with a plan once she gauged how he fought. Sure she had seen him, but she, of course, she hadn't experienced it firsthand. Mayu curled her fingers, and then launched a punch forward. This proved to be futile because Neji was faster than her. He blocked and dodged every punch that was thrown. He saw an opening in her defenses, but Mayu quickly jumped back when she saw that Neji's eyes were diverted from her face for a split second.

She backed up a little more, panting. _"Ninja really are on a totally different level!"_ she thought. _"Obviously he's faster than me. But with a bit of help from my sudden counterpart…!" _Again, Mayu charged at Neji. This time, she used the combined speed of herself and Hinata, plus chakra to get that extra boost. Neji, not expecting her to gain this much speed, froze in shock as Mayu's leg collided with his chest. The Hyuga male was sent flying back right into the wall! Mayu smirked, putting her leg back down. _"He may have poked Hinata's arm, but I can still push chakra out of my feet!"_ she thought.

Neji stood up with a hand on his chest. _"It doesn't make sense! Hinata shouldn't be this fast... this strong!"_He glared at his cousin. _"Where is the coward she used to be?"_ His opponent extended her arm, beckoning him with a finger.

"Come at me!" Mayu yelled across the arena. Snarling, Neji did as she suggested. He attacked using the Gentle Fist, but the girl quickly already grabbed his wrist. _"Crap... I made a mistake!"_ she thought, seeing Neji's leg lift up. He kicked her in the stomach. The force behind his kicked caused her to double over as she slid back about a foot. _"Okay... it's clear that his hands are his strongest point."_ She held her stomach, watching Neji smirk at her. She almost rolled her eyes. He thought he did a good job with that? _"Teh, my mom hits harder than you. Still, your hands are trouble. What can I do to make them unusable?" _Her eyes shifted everywhere, trying to find anything that could help. _"The jacket! I just need to get to it!"_ she thought. _"I just _had_ to take it off, didn't I? And it just had to be behind him, didn't it?"_ With a sigh, she stood up. She then ran towards Neji. His palm shot forward, intending to attack. However, Mayu used chakra to jump over him. _"I'll just pretend I'm trying to attack!"_ She spun around, bring up her leg. However, Neji caught her ankle.

"Do you really think I would fall for the same trick twice?" he asked, sounding smug.

"It was worth a try...!" Mayu answered, grinning. Her carefree attitude caused Neji to glare, and then shove her back. She rolled, once but it wasn't enough to reach the jacket, so she forced herself to roll again and again, making it appear that Neji's throw was stronger. A glimpse of the jacket was seen. Finally, she stopped, hand gripping the bloody coat. Giving her no time, Neji came at her again. Grimacing, Mayu stood up just as his left arm launched forward. Again, she used a combination of speed. Mayu quickly wrapped one arm of the jacket around Neji's wrist. She yanked on the coat, bringing the shinobi closer. Her knee came up and hit his torso. Neji cough and doubled over. Mayu used this to her advantage. She orbited around him, and then roughly pulled his arms behind him. Effectively crossing them, she wrapped and tied the jacket around Neji, locking his arms at his back. She stepped away to admired her handiwork. Neji struggled, but could not get free.

"She just rendered his arms _useless_!" Sakura exclaimed.

"My jacket is stronger than your average rope, plus it's stronger than before because it got wet with my blood. You can't escape," Mayu stated.

_"She's right! I can hardly move my arms,"_ Neji thought, still attempting to get free. _"Did she have this planned the whole time?"_ Chuckling, Mayu kicked his back, making him fall flat on his face. Taking her sweet time, she stepped over his body. Neji turned over and glared. Blood ran down his face, so it wasn't quite as intimidating as it had been.

"Oh, did you break your nose? You brought this on yourself, you know," Mayu said. "Instead of insulting and blaming it on fate, why didn't you just fight? No, no… You just _had_ to bring our family into it. Well, I have news for you… Names and status means nothing, and _shouldn't_ mean anything in a _fight_. Got it?" Neji merely continued to glare up, both embarrassed and confused. It was like he had been fighting a completely different person! But that couldn't be… It was still Hinata, his weak cousin. No… This was a fighter. He had underestimated her because he had been expecting a weak cousin.

"_She has changed…" _he thought.

Mayu gripped his shoulders, hoisting Neji up until he was on his feet. He tried kicking her, but that was useless, seeing as how she only danced out of the way. "You rely on your hands too much. Your kicks are ineffective," she stated, evading yet another kick attempt. Her leg came up in an axe kick. Her foot caught his chin, lifting him off the ground. Mayu followed after him, turning once. Her arms hugged her thighs as she turned. The soles of shoes smashed against Neji's head. "_SHAZAAM_!" She yelled when the impact happened.

Kakashi's eye widen in surprise. _"That move…"_ he thought. His gaze shifted to his female subordinate. Her eyes were still on the match. Although she looked shocked, her surprise was the same as everyone else. That move hadn't been familiar to her at all. And neither had the shout that came with it. Kakashi turned back to the Hyuga, noting the expression on her face. He had always thought something was… different. Without warning, Haruno Sakura had seemed to change personalities after she had woken up on that bridge._ "Hm… And now the personality that I was used to has resurfaced, but in another." _What did this mean?

Back on the ground floor, Mayu watched her opponent struggle to get up. More than likely, Neji hadn't been hurt so badly before. It was his own fault, really. By not expecting much, he made himself vulnerable when _Hinata_ suddenly switched her fighting tactics. She shook her head, slightly disappointed. If she had been taken seriously from the beginning, Neji wouldn't be in this situation. Mayu almost wished he would have just to see how strong she really was up against a ninja. Then she could see how she could take on Sasuke. _"Sasuke… I wonder if you remember me,"_ she thought. And then a sudden thought struck her. Wait… This was the chuunin exam, wasn't it? That meant… Slowly, her head turned behind her. To her utter glee, Gaara, shinobi of the Sand, stared down at her. Her eyes widen as she inhaled sharply.

"PANDA-CHAN!"

"Panda-chan? Who's Panda-chan?" Naruto asked.

"What kind of name is that for Naruto?" Lee muttered.

Mayu wiggled in place as she cupped her cheeks. This was a dream come true! Giggling cutely, she snuck a peek at him again. He was still looking her way. Almost hesitantly, she wiggled her fingers at him, waving, and giggled when his expression turned confused. She could no longer control herself. She ran over to his side, climbed the stairs and slid to a stop in front of him. Others looked on, flabbergasted. Mayu ignored the proctor calling Hinata's name. All she could see and hear was Gaara. "Hell… Hello, Gaara-kun!" She bowed her head. The fangirl had completely taken over her logical mind. She wasn't even aware that the proctor was giving her to the count of five to return. "My name is Ma—_ah_… I mean, my name is Hyuga Hinata!" She scratched her cheek and shifted her eyes to the side. "But you can call me Mayu-chan if you want!"

"Ma… Mayu…?"

At the sound her name on his tongue, she squealed and clasped her hands together. "HINATA!" Naruto's voice finally reached her ears. Man, he sure was loud. "What are you doing? You're going to _lose_!"

"Eh...?" Mayu peered over the railing to see the proctor holding up his hand. Only two fingers were sticking up. And then one of those fingers went down. "_Uwaa_…!" She leapt on the metal railing, preparing to jump, but that last finger went down before she could make a move.

"By forfeit, Hyuga Hinata gives the match to Hyuga Neji." He coughed in his hand after he made the statement. Mayu froze in place. Her mouth opened and closed, staring blankly down at the coughing jounin. He looked away from her, so she shifted her attention to the winner of the match. Neji hadn't moved from his tied up position on the floor. "Noooooo!" She wailed. "I lost to a guy who can't even move!" She moved herself back on the floor and dropped her chin in disappointment. _"Actually,"_ she thought. _"If I had won, the whole thing would have been screwed up, wouldn't it?" _Still, it didn't feel good to have her rapid fangirl syndrome (RFS) came about at such a crucial time.

Speaking of which, her eyes turned back to the object of her affection. His arms were no longer crossed, but he was staring at her with suspicious eyes. It was so cute she could die! However, she didn't die. She only fainted… just like that. "HINATA!" Naruto shouted. Temari walked over to Mayu/Hinata's twitching body. Her lip twitched.

"What the hell…?" she murmured.

0-0

"Are you positive that Hyuga Hinata has never summoned a clone of that nature?"

"No, Hokage-sama," Kurenai answered. "In fact, Hinata has never shown those abilities… or actions either. As her sensei, I know her quite well. That was the first time I had ever seen her behave assertively and aggressive."

"As I thought," the Third Hokage murmured. _"That girl… has she finally returned?"_ he thought.

"With all due respect, Hokage-sama, what do you think?" Kurenai asked. "What happened during her match with Neji was strange, and shouldn't be ignored."

"Yes, you are right," he replied. "I will send someone to watch her during the one month break."

0-0

Hinata poked her fingers together and stared at the floor as she walked. Actually, she was pacing back and forth in the hospital room. She had no idea what to do. Minutes ago, she had found herself staring up at the ceiling. The preliminaries must have been over by now. She had missed the rest of the matches because of the… other being inside of her. The Hyuga heir deeply breathed in, holding her hands together in front of her. She had tried to communicate with her, but there had been no response.

The question of whether it was all a dream had been laid to rest quickly. It was plausible that it was a nightmare. Neji could have beaten her so bad that she fallen unconscious, which led to the nightmare. However, her body was extremely sore—most specifically her legs. Most often, Hinata only used her arms and upper body, choosing not to focus on her lower body. Most Hyuga trained and fought this way. So having the soreness in her legs told her it was not a dream. What had happened was real.

After the dream theory came the insanity theory. As the heir to the Hyuga clan, she was expected to know all about the human body, not just physically either. Although, many believed her to be weak, she was still taught about the human body. Mentally, something could have gone wrong with the brain and a split personality—an alter ego—could come about. This theory is what she was stuck on. If she had taken on another personality, then surely she wouldn't be in her right mind, right? Also, the personality came out in a clone, during battle. In addition to that, the clone was altered in colors. That, in itself, was strange. Because of that, the insanity theory was beginning to seem less likely.

Still, she paced, positively worried. _"How will I explain this to my team…?"_ she questioned herself. Kiba hadn't been there. Shino was a bit on the quiet side, but he was blunt when he spoke. Surely, he would question her behavior in the future. And her sensei… Yūhi Kurenai was like an older sister. She, out of anyone on the team, would be the most concerned about this development. She couldn't very well _lie_ to her—to them. Again, Hinata poked her fingers together. It was a nervous habit she had yet to get rid of. If only she knew what was going on herself…

Suddenly, a yawn filled her ears. Hinata whipped her head around, trying to discover where it came from. There had been no other patients in the room when she had awakened. The yawn came again. It sounded so close. Where was it coming from?

**Hinata…?**

Ah, it was her alter ego. Should she answer back? Well, there was no use in ignoring her other self. Besides, she had wanted to speak with Mayu. This was a very important matter, after all. "Y-Yes…?" Hinata replied. The Hyuga looked around the room. Perhaps it was best not to speak out loud.

**Please tell me I didn't faint!**

"You… You did," she answered. A sigh sounded louder than it should have. Then again, the alter ego was in her mind.

**That sucks. So Neji did end up winning?**

_"Yes…"_This time, Hinata replied to her within her head. Pouting could be heard only by Hinata. Swallowing, she waited until Mayu was finished ranting to herself. "Uh… Mayu-san…? Could we… possibly discuss how you appeared?"

**Hm…?**

_"Are you my split personality?"_ It was a serious question, so it was quite a shock when laughter was the response.

**God, Hinata, nothing like that. Don't worry. This has happened before.**

"_This has happened before?"_

**Yes, to Haruno Sakura. However, Sakura wasn't also there like you are now.**

"_I don't understand."_

**Um… Do you remember when the teams were assigned?**

"_Yes…"_

**Well, didn't think it was strange how Sakura behaved towards your crush and Uchiha Sasuke?**

"_Yes,"_ Hinata repeated, and then blushed. _"M-M-My cru-crush?"_ Her cheeks glowed red. Mayu scoffed.

**It's no secret, Hinata. You like Naruto.**

"…" Hinata chose not to protest. _"What does that have to do with anything?"_

**Well, that was me in Sakura's body! But like I said, Sakura wasn't around.**

"_I see… Is this some type of jutsu?"_

**Hell if I know, but it's probably is. Who knows what jacked up plot sent me here. This is totally random.**

"_What…?"_

**Nothing, nothing…! By the way, my full name is Ishikari Mayu. Let's be friends!**

Despite the sudden vagueness, the conversation did stifle the insanity theory. This was only a jutsu—meaning its effects were temporary. However, the duration of the jutsu had Hinata worried. This girl, Ishikari Mayu, couldn't be kept secret for long, could she? Eventually, someone would find out. Hinata frowned a bit. The very thought of possible outcomes made her cringe. What would her clan think of her then? What would her _father_ think? The Hyuga shook her head in a shudder. That would be too much to handle. _"Mayu-san, we should hide this for as long as possible,"_ she thought.

**I am in full agreement. Who knows what could happen?**

"Yes," Hinata nodded her head. For now, it was safer this way. With her team, they would be too busy training Shino for his match in the finals. That gave her some time to think about what to say when the time came. _"Now that things are a bit clearer, I will head home. If you become control of my body again, then please try to behave in the way that I do."_

**Understood, Hinata-sama!**

The Hyuga girl blushed. She did sound as though she was giving an order, didn't she? Just as she was about to explain that and apologize, strange noises reached her ears. They sounded much too faint to be coming from Mayu. Hinata walked over to the door, and slid it open. The noises had gotten louder. They were coming from inside the room across from hers. It sounded as though someone was struggling. The thought of a patient falling and not being able to get up entered her mind. What if they were hurt? Without thinking, Hinata opened the door to the room.

Her eyes widen, seeing the occupant of the room. He hadn't been on the floor, struggling to get up. Instead, he was over by the window, attempting to open it. Hinata blinked. He was an old classmate, and currently a teammate of Naruto. Blushing because of the blond shinobi, she cleared her throat. Uchiha Sasuke spun around. Panic was in his eyes for only a second. His eyebrows furrowed as he gave her a once over. Hinata felt self-conscious under his gaze. She took a step back in response and lowered her eyes to the floor. "S-Sa-Sasuke-san… I'm so-sorry fo-for-"

"Hinite?"

… He didn't even know her _name_? That didn't make her feel good.

"What are you doing here?" He narrowed his eyes. "I thought you liked Naruto." The blush on her face increased tenfold.

"Na-Na-Na-Naruto-kun…"

**Hinata, let me handle this.**

Realizing she might faint because this, the Hyuga heiress nodded her head. Mayu, now in control, grinned at the young Uchiha. "My, my," she began. "I can't believe you have forgotten me so quickly, Sasuke!" The shinobi frowned. "I guess Naruto's beginning to rub off on you, ne?" Sasuke opened his mouth, looking as though he would say something, but then it closed. Rolling her eyes, Mayu shook her head. "It's me, Sasuke… or should I call you bird brain?" It took a beat, but then his eyes showed recognition.

"Ma-Mayu… You're back?" His tone was incredulous.

"In the flesh! Well, not exactly my flesh, but this seems to happen a lot, so…" Mayu gave a wave. "How's it going?" Instead of answering her, Sasuke did something so surprising that Mayu could only stand there, eyes wide. He had moved quickly, but the end result was his arms around her. They stayed like that for a few moments before Mayu finally blinked. "S-Sasuke…?" He released her abruptly, and then took a couple of steps back. His eyes found an interesting corner of the room to stare at.

"Don't… Don't think anything of it," he said. "I just… I thought you had died." Sasuke quickly glanced at the girl in front of him before turning his eyes again. "Suddenly, Sakura was back so…" After he composed himself, he cleared his throat. "Where did you go?" His eyes focused in on her.

"Ah… Well, I didn't die," Mayu answered. "I only went back to my own body. This time, I've ended up in Hinata's body, and I still don't know why this is happening."

"What happened the first time?" Sasuke asked, raising a brow.

"I ran… off a cliff!" Her answer seemed a little too fishy. However, Sasuke chose not to question it. "It was pretty bad, too!" She made a fast and shook her head. "I was in the hospital for _weeks_!" The Uchiha refrained from rolling his eyes. Now, she was just lying.

"And this time?" Sasuke questioned.

"Practically drowned..."

"…"

"…"

"Moron..."

"It wasn't _my _fault!"

"I have a hard time believing that."

"_Eff_ you, bird brain!" She crossed her arms and looked away. Sasuke almost let a chuckle slip. It was so weird seeing _Hinata _behave this way. But it wasn't Hinata. It was Mayu. She was back.

"You still owe me a fight."

"Ah!" She looked as though she had just remembered. "I do have to kick your ass." Yeah, it was definitely weird to see _Hinata _acting this way. "I know you got hurt bad, so I won't do it right now..." She trailed off and furrowed her eyebrows. "What were you doing before I got here, anyway?"

"Trying to open up this window!" Sasuke glared at the window. Mayu gave him a flat look. "What?"

"Well, first of all... the window doesn't open upward," she told him as she walked over to the troublesome window. "It _slides _open!" As she demonstrated as to open the window, she watched Sasuke's mouth drop open. He was comical enough to make her snicker. "Wow… Someone must have really done a number on you, _huh_?"

"Shut up," Sasuke grumbled. He walked over, intending to leave via window, but Mayu stopped him.

"Hey, wanna see something cool?" she asked.

"No." Clearly, he was upset about looking like an idiot in front of another person.

"Well, _too bad_!" Mayu was unperturbed about his answer. She then went about performing hand signs. Almost rolling his eyes, the young Uchiha turned to her. She was going so slow that he almost told her to hurry up. However, just as he was about to say something, a puff of smoke appeared beside her body. When it cleared, a clone of Hinata stood in its place. Sasuke reared his head back.

"What's wrong with it?"

"What a rude thing to say!"

"It talks?" Sasuke sounded really surprised. "I thought it was the regular clone jutsu!"

"No, _stupid_. This is really me," Mayu spoke. "Well, except for the body... other than that, this is me!" Sasuke looked back and forth between Hinata and the 'clone.' He blinked three times. Finally, his eyes settled on Hinata.

"But, what about-" Sasuke began.

"That's Hinata, bird brain!" Mayu supplied. "And it's _Hinata_, not Hinite! Honestly, how can you not know your own classmate's name? Especially cute little Hinata!" The girl wrapped an arm around the blushing Hyuga's shoulders.

"M-Mayu-san…"

"This is too weird…" Sasuke murmured. "Why are you-?"

"My eyes are blue. My hair is black. And my skin is brown," Mayu explained.

"Brown skin…"

"Are you colored blind now?"

"Shut up." Sasuke glared. "I meant… I've never seen anyone with this skin tone."

"I guess that's true," Mayu shrugged her shoulders. She suddenly grinned, holding up her fingers. She wiggled them at him. "Does this _intimidate_ you?"

"No," Sasuke answered, swatting her hands down. "You're still an idiot." Mayu stuck her lip out in a pout. She gasped when the Uchiha suddenly grabbed her hands. "You're real!"

"You sound more and more like an idiot every time you speak."

"The hand signs you did were for the clone jutsu, but you're not just a regular clone. You're like a shadow clone!" He chose to ignore the comment Mayu had made. The girl snatched her hands back.

"So what?"

"This is weird!"

"Newsflash! This _whole_ situation is weird, bird brain!"

"Stop calling me that!"

"What are you gonna _do_ about it?"

He promptly hit her.

"OW! What the hell was that for?"

"I thought you'd disappear."

"_Haha_! I only go back into Hinata's body when I _want_ to!"

"Damn…"

Hinata looked on, unsure of what to do.

"Anyway, I'm leaving to train for the chuunin exam," Sasuke continued. Mayu smirked, and then nodded.

"Make sure you get stronger, so I won't have to take it easy on you when we throw down, ne?" Her words me the Uchiha smirk in return. He gave a nod, and then jumped out of the window. Mayu smiled, and then turned to Hinata. The Hyuga heiress wore a small smile of her own. "What?"

"_Ah_…" She averted her eyes. "It's just… Sa-Sasuke-san and Ma-Mayu-san seem close."

"Close…?" Mayu repeated. She blinked a couple of times, and then she grinned and scratched her cheek. "Yeah, well, I guess we did bond while I was Sakura. He found out that I wasn't really her."

"I always noticed Sasuke-san in the Academy. Despite his popularity, he seemed to be alone," Hinata remarked. "He has changed."

"Yeah, I am pretty awesome at changing people, aren't I?" Mayu bragged, crossing her arms. She gave haughty laugh. "Speaking of which, should we head to your house now?"

"Yes," Hinata nodded her head.

0-0

At some point or another, Mayu had switched places with Hinata. Really, she had spotted Gaara, and nearly had another fangirl moment. However, Hinata quickly informed her that the red head was _clearly_ only Chouji's father. After realizing such a fact, the energy she had had seemed to drain from her system. She had spent nearly forty minutes getting to Hinata's home. With a sigh, Mayu slip out of the standard ninja shoes before stepping up. Wearily, she looked away before following Hinata's directions. Finally, she came to the proper room. Weakly smiling, Mayu opened the door. Just as she was about to go in, a voice stopped her.  
**  
**"Hinata-sama!" Mayu attempted to look even more exhausted, but the Hyuga clone seemed too impassive to care. She almost scoffed. Did the whole clan, besides Hinata, have foots up their buttholes? "Your father requests your presence."

"Okay…" she replied, sounding miserable. The man nodded, and then led the way. With a disappointed sigh, Mayu closed the door to Hinata's comfortable looking room. She wanted sleep, damn it! Within a few moments, they were standing outside another room. _"Hey, Hinata!"_ Mayu thought as the man made his presence known to the clan head. _"Is your father mean?"_

**He's not… a bad father.**

Mayu found herself blinking. Many, who were Hinata's fans, did not like her father—hated him, in fact. Ichiro was probably the biggest hater of them all. However, Hyuga Hiashi had never done anything too bad. Yes, he beat her with his words, but he had physically hard Hinata. Still, some would call mental abuse worse than physical abuse. Mentally, Mayu shrugged. Come what may, she was going to try to stifle her rage if the man had something rude to say. Besides, he was probably more intimidating than Neji. "Hiashi-sama will see you now." The older Hyuga bowed, and then left her there. Mayu pressed her lips together before she placed a hand on the door, preparing to open it. Let's get this over with, she thought. She stepped in. Hinata's father sat, formally, hands tucked into opposite sleeves, at the opposite side of the room. He didn't bother to open his eyes.

"Hinata, close the door," he said.

"Yes, father," Mayu replied, solemnly. She slid the door close behind her. She then walked forward until she was a few feet away. She bowed, and then sat on her knees. I waited for him to speak, but he didn't look like he was going to say something anytime soon.

"Hinata, I understand that you lost to your cousin, Neji, in the chuunin exam," Hiashi stated.

"Yes, father..." Mayu repeated. The man opened his eyes. She had been right to assume that he was more intimidating than Neji. She swallowed hard and looked to the floor.

"Once again…" Hiashi breathed in. "Once again you have disgraced-"

"Hold on there a minute, chief!" Mayu interrupted before she could stop herself. Hiashi cocked an eyebrow. _"Oh crap,"_ she thought, realizing she made a mistake.

**Mayu-san…!**

The girl cleared her throat, and then looked to the floor again. "Um… What I meant was… Could whoever told you this information have not gone into detail?"

"What?"

"If they had, you would have understood that I almost succeeded in besting Neji-san, father," Mayu explained, keeping her head bowed. Had she been looking up, Hiashi might have seen her smirk.

"Hinata, I did not raise a liar," Hiashi remarked.

"That's right, you didn't," Mayu replied. A frown surfaced. _"Ass…"_ she finished in thought.

**Mayu-san!**

"_What? Why does he think I'm lying?"_

Hiashi stared at his eldest daughter. Her shoulders visibly shook. She was still as fragile as before. She could never beat—or _almost_beat—the most promising member of the Hyuga clan. Hinata could not even beat her younger sister, let alone Neji. However, doubt crept into his thoughts. He knew his daughter well enough to know that she did not lie—especially not to him. His pale eyes shifted to Hanabi, whom was in the corner of the room. She, too, stared at her sister with an incredulous gaze. "Hanabi, retrieve Neji now."

"Yes, father!" His voice seemed to startle her, but she followed his order without question.

The room became silent. Mayu felt her eye twitch. She could still feel Hinata's father's gaze on her. It freaked her out. She couldn't stop her body from shaking. But 'creeper vibes' wasn't the only reason her shoulders trembled. If there was one thing she hated, it was when someone insulted another person. And this—this took the cake. Hinata's father—her own father was about to say how her loss against Neji was a disgrace! It was no wonder she couldn't control her mouth. _"Hinata… I might lose it!" _she told her host.

**Please refrain from doing that, Mayu-san! My father… views me as a failure, so his reaction is expected.**

_"Still...!"_ Mayu hissed in thought. _"If my father ever said something like this to me, I'd dropkick him!" _Then again, something like that would never happen. Unlike Hinata, she had a doting father, who would love her no matter what her actions were. Perhaps, she should be a little more sensitive to the situation. The door suddenly opened, causing Mayu to turn. Hyuga Neji glared. _Hah_… He seemed to be doing that a lot. His body was riddled with medical dress. _"Man, what did I do to him? Oh yeah, I practically beat him up! Fufufufu!"_

"Hiashi-sama…?" Neji bowed, and then sat down beside me.

"Hinata has told me that she almost defeated you… Is that true?" Hiashi asked.

_"Well, the bruises on his face kinda explain things,"_ Mayu thought, cheekily. To her amusement, Hinata actually giggled at her comment.

Neji didn't say anything for the longest time. He looked towards his cousin, glared again, and then back to Hinata's father. He seemed hesitant on answering. "Yes… Hiashi-sama, that is correct." Mayu would have laughed if she was still trying to be Hinata. He seriously sounded as though he had a hard time admitting that. "Her skills have improved greatly... even without the use of her Byakugan... her taijutsu was… If I hadn't underestimated her, I would have won fairly."

"Won fairly...?" Hiashi sounded confused. "What do you mean by this?"

"Hinata-sama was given a ring out during the match. I was tied up, but still I won," Neji answered.

"Hinata... explain," Hiashi demanded. Mayu cringed. She forgot about that part. How was she supposed to admit such an embarrassing way to lose? Honestly, she wanted to cry. Lying seemed to be the best option. However, Neji was also in the room, and he could spitefully call her bluff. Scowling lightly, she apologized to Hinata in advance.

"Something distracted me," Mayu answered. She noticed that Neji looked towards her. She could feel questioning gazes on the others' faces. However, she did not elaborate. And she wasn't _going_ to either.

"Something…?" Hiashi tried to get her to continue.

"Something," Mayu repeated firmly.

Hiashi narrowed his eyes at his daughter. She seemed to be refusing to speak more on the subject. It made him angry that she would display such disrespect, and in front of Neji, a branch member, no less. However, there was some part of him that liked it. Never before did Hinata show even a smidgen of defiance. "_Hm_… Very well," Hiashi said. His three charges all seemed surprised by his leniency. They shouldn't get used to it. "Starting tomorrow..." he continued. "Neji and Hinata, you will both spar and you will continue to do so until Neji is ready for his match in the chuunin exam finals."

"WHAT?" He was met with opposition.

"Do you have a _problem _with this?" Hiashi asked, glaring. As expected, the two young Hyuga cringed, shying away.

"No, sir..." Neji muttered.

"No, father..." Mayu whispered.

"Well, then, you are dismissed," Hiashi said. Slowly, the two returned to their feet, bowed, and then headed for the door. Neji allowed his cousin to go first. He closed the door behind him. Once they were far enough away from the clan head's room, he spoke.

"Don't think for a second that I'll go easy on you, Hinata-_sama_," Neji practically snarled.

"And don't think for a second that I'll faint again, _brother_," Mayu hissed back. If he wanted to start something with Hinata, he'll have to go through her first!

0-0


	3. Chapter 3

"You two may begin at the first sign of light," Hiashi ordered. He sat there, watching his daughter and nephew stare at each other. He had woken them up extremely early. If it had been Mayu, instead of Hinata, which had been abruptly sent for, someone would have died. Even now, the girl was complaining, and only the Hyuga heiress could hear the ranting. Now, Mayu was hissing about the glare on Neji's face.

**Hold up! That means you have to stare at each other for thirty minutes?**

_"My father thinks this is training... an intimidating method," _Hinata explained.

**I am **_**really **_**starting to dislike your dad, Hinata.**

For the time being, Hinata ignored guest. This form of training had never really helped. She had never improved with staring a person down. Even now, she felt uncomfortable keeping her eyes locked with Neji's. Hinata swallowed, forcing her gaze to return to her cousin's eyes whenever they adverted. Usually, in this type of training, her opponent would only scoff and allow her to keep her eyes on the ground. However, her father was watching. Surely he would not allow such a thing to happen in his presence.

Hinata inaudibly breathed out. Soon, she would have to battle Neji again. The very thought caused a cold sweat. Would she have the strength to keep up with him like last time? Or would she look utterly foolish. Her father would most likely not trust her word again if that were to happen. Saying that she had almost beaten her cousin was a bold statement, and he had probably wanted to see for himself. The heiress pressed her lips together. The sun was about to rise any minute now. Already Neji had gotten into his fighting stance and activated his Byakugan. Hinata did the same and silently prayed. _"Please Mayu-san... Naruto-kun, give me enough strength to impress father,"_ she thought.

Sunlight hit the eyes of the two Hyuga clan members, and then they charged at each other. Hinata could clearly see the snarl on her cousin's face. His intention was to end this battle as soon as possible. She felt her eyes narrow. Under no circumstance she this battle end after one strike from him. Although she didn't have the confidence to _beat_ him by herself, she did feel a tiny bit certain that she could do _some _damage. She had done it before, after all. However, before the two could collide, a cloud a smoke suddenly appeared between them, causing the both of them to halt. Hiashi stood up, eyebrows furrowed, as the puff of smoke cleared. Standing in between the two cousins was an elite ninja.

**Kakashi-sensei…? What's he doing at the Hyuga estate?**

"What are you doing here, Hatake?" Hiashi demanded to know. "Not just anyone is allowed to enter."

"Pardon the intrusion, Hyuga-sama, but I wish to speak with your daughter," Kakashi said. "This comes directly from the Hokage."

"Hanabi...? She has no business with the Hokage. What could you possible want with her?" Hiashi asked.

"_Um_..." Kakashi's eye shifted to Hinata, causing the young Hyuga to subconsciously take a step back. "Actually, I was referring to your _eldest _daughter.

"We're in the middle of training," Hiashi stated.

"Training will have to wait." Kakashi's aloof response caused a twitch in Hiashi's brow. Still, he glanced at his first born. Expectedly, his daughter turned her eyes away.

"Hinata, take him to an empty room so you can talk privately."

"Y-Yes, father!" she replied, bowing. She then turned to the silver-haired male. "This way, Kakashi-sensei." The heiress gestured for him to follow her before turning. Without a word, Hatake Kakashi followed her into the main house. She could feel his eye on her. Silently she shivered, feeling chill bumps arise on her arms. She knew the feeling well. This man behind her—he was highly suspicious. Actually, he had been there during her match with Neji, hadn't he? He has seen it all. _"Mayu-san…"_

**Like I told you last night, only Sasuke knew. But Kakashi-sensei is smarter than Sasuke…**

Did this mean someone else had already known—this quickly? Hinata bit her bottom lip as she walked. This did not bold well. A ninja of his status most likely had told the _Hokage_. He had indeed mentioned the Third to her father. She did not know this man. However, she did know he communicated with her sensei from time to time, as he did with the sensei of Team 10. Who knew if the man behind her liked to talk? The dark-haired kunoichi swallowed hard. The longer she thought about it, the worse she felt.

Finally, Hinata came to a stop. The room she had chosen was rarely used by the main house. Like the other rooms in the Hyuga manor, this room was specially designed so that the Byakugan could not penetrate its walls. Why the special property? That embarrassing event from the past is the reason. When the eyes of the Hyuga are initially triggered, it is quite weak and cannot see into the body to see the chakra network. However, it is still strong enough to see through walls… and clothes. Hinata had been traumatized by the sight of her grandfather undressing himself at the tender age of seven. Most Hyuga children ignored their eyesight. However, since she was the clan head's daughter, and her father seemed to still care for her at the time, the special property rooms were established. Hanabi didn't have to go through the same thing—lucky girl.

Ridding herself of thoughts of the past, and Mayu's giggling, Hinata closed the door after Hatake Kakashi entered the room. "Wh-What is it you want to sp-speak to me abo-about, Kakashi-sensei?" she asked, keeping her eyes on the tatami mats of the floor. _"And what does the Hokage have to do with it?" _she finished in thought.

"Well, I'm going to train one of my students…" He peered down at the young Hyuga. "But you see I have two objectives. First, the Lord Hokage has asked me to observe you for the next month." Hinata blinked in rapid succession. Kakashi almost chuckled. "Second, my student needs a sparring partner, but he wants a specific partner. She goes by the name of… Mayu? It has come to my attention that you know this girl." The heiress repeated the name in a stammer. "Yes, Ishikari Mayu if I remember correctly." His eye seemed to express amusement. "Perhaps the two objectives are related to each other?"

"W-What does this have to d-do w-with m-m-me, Kakashi-sensei?" Hinata asked, trying to hide her nervousness. She clearly failed miserably. Her head had even begun to feel lightheaded. It was as she predicted. He _knew_! How—already? She couldn't handle this. This was too much attention, coming too fast for her. And it didn't help matters when the jounin replied to her.

"Oh, I think you _know_~!" Kakashi said. His tone was melodic. She could see the movement of his lip beneath his mask. There was a smile. He was _enjoying _this!

**Stupid bird brain...! Hinata let's switch. I'll handle this.**

_"Okay..."_Hinata said, mentally breathing a sigh of relief.

The familiar rush of switching washed over the two. Once she was fully in control of Hinata's body, arms folded under chest. "So, he told you, _huh_?" Mayu inquired with a sigh. "Trust Sasuke to ruin the mystery for me." Kakashi chuckled.

"Yes, and he told me of Sakura, too! For the first month, you were the kunoichi of my team, weren't you, Mayu-san?" Kakashi said.

"Yeah, I suppose I shouldn't have yelled out '_Shazaam_' when I kicked Neji's ass, ne?"

It was too funny to hear _Hinata _curse.

"Anyway, yeah, I was Haruno Sakura. Though, the incident isn't my fault. I don't know how I ended up in her body," Mayu continued, unaware that the man was trying to stifle his chuckles. "It was the first time something like that happened to me. This is the second time, but Hinata is still here. We're sharing her body."

"Clearly, this is the work of a jutsu."

"Yeah, me and Sasuke kinda already went over that, but since I'm not from a place where ninja and jutsu exists, that seems highly unlikely," Mayu explained. Hands slapped over her mouth, realizing she had said too much.

"Jutsu and ninja do not exist…?" Kakashi blinked. "Where do you think you come from?"

"_Er_… not here?" The man gave her the look. How he accomplished said look was a major feat. Whenever her mother gave 'the look' it was quite intimidating, but it required the entire face… or so she though. "Obviously, so villages don't practice the art of ninja, Kakashi-sensei. That's what I meant. I don't hail from a ninja village."

"_Ah_…" Honestly, Mayu didn't know what to make of his response. Kakashi was still as unreadable as he was before. "Do you have a clan in this non-ninja village?" Quickly, the girl shook her head.

"There's only me, my dad, my mom, and my dad's parents." She grinned a bit. "I haven't met my cousins, though."

_"So, she doesn't know..."_ Kakashi thought. His eye narrowed a bit. When the Hokage explained his musings about the match between Hyuga Hinata and Hyuga Neji, his suspicions had been confirmed about the change in his student's character. However, it would seem as though this girl's arrival and departure was much bigger than that. The clone that had appeared in battle was another factor attributing to his confirmation. Dark skin and blue eyes—those were characteristics of members of the Ishikari clan. Few knew about the hidden clan of the Leaf village. Fewer knew of the two surviving members. One had gone rogue, hunting for the one responsible of the destruction of his clan. The other was never seen or heard from since that night. _"If this girl truly is the heir of the clan, then it's definitely the work of a jutsu of her clan… It seems as though she has forgotten her heritage after she disappeared."_

"So, what does Sasuke, who has a bigger mouth than Naruto, want?" Mayu asked, bringing Kakashi from his private thoughts. Once her words had processed in his mind, he chuckled.

"I already told you—_er_, Hinata that he wanted to spar with you," Kakashi answered.

"Why _me_?" she emphasized. "There are a lot of other people stronger, after all."

"He said something about a proving his strength over your… combined abilities?"

"_Ahh_… I remember that." Mayu produced a sour look. "Don't tell him I said this, but I think he has a complex." Kakashi had to admit that the girl was quite amusing. In fact, he almost missed her antics from her time on his team. He held back another chuckle. "So… you're training him now? That means Neji won't have the honor of being beaten by Hinata _again_ today?" Shaking his head a bit, Kakashi gave an affirmative answer. He mentioned that Sasuke was waiting. "Meh, let him wait a little while longer. It probably pisses him off."

"Well, it's already been about two hours since I left him, so…"

"I see you haven't changed at all, Kakashi-sensei."  
**  
**0-0**  
**

"A mission?" Hiashi inquired.

"Well, yeah..." Kakashi started. "It's sort of a last minute mission before the chuunin Exam starts back up." He rubbed the back of his head. "And it's confidential, too. Lord Hokage asked me not to speak of its details to anyone other than Hinata."

"May I ask why Hinata was specifically chosen for this secret mission?" Clearly the clan head was suspicious with this excuse.

"You can… but I won't tell you."

"_Are you trying to piss him off, Kakashi-sensei?" _Mayu thought, sweating nervously. She had seen the flash of irritation in Hinata's father's eyes.

"I see..." Hiashi managed to say through gritted teeth. "Very well... Neji, it seems you will not be training with Hinata." Neji bowed and then turned to who he thought was his cousin.

"It seems we won't have the pleasure of fighting, Hinata-sama." His tone was meant to be sarcastic.

"Trust me, dear brother; I'm a force you don't want to tangle with again!" Mayu replied in a soft voice. Neji glared, and then walked away. She smirked, knowing there wasn't a damn thing Neji could do in this type of situation. But he would be sure to do something later on, wasn't he? The Hyuga genius seemed to be the spiteful type.

"Hinata, whenever you're ready," Kakashi said. Mayu nodded her head and stood close to her former sensei. He turned to look at a disgruntled head of the Hyuga clan. "Don't worry, Hyuga-sama. Your daughter will be returning here almost every day." Kakashi then performed a couple of hand signs.

The two disappeared by means of the Teleportation Jutsu.

0-0

Mayu seriously wanted to puke. She stumbled away from Kakashi, holding her stomach. The Teleportation Jutsu was not her friend. After taking a few moments to make retching noises, hopefully causing Kakashi to feel guilty, Mayu glared at her former sensei. "Next time, I'll just _walk_!"

"But that would take even longer," was his uncaring response.

"…"

"Mayu, you're here. Or are you Hinata?" a voice made the girl turn. She saw Sasuke sitting. He was in the process of wrapping his arms in bandages. Her eyes lit up as she called his name. This, of course, caused the young Uchiha to grimace. That look was not normal, especially if it was Mayu, and not Hinata. That girl wouldn't be that excited just seeing his face. Mayu walked towards him. Sasuke stood as she got closer. But it had to be her. Hinata always used honorifics. "Ma-" he started, but she interrupted.

"Turn around!" Mayu instructed. He blinked.

"What? Why?" Sasuke asked.

"Just do it~!" came her cheerful reply. Sasuke blinked again, but shrugged his shoulders. He couldn't think of any reason why Mayu wanted to see his back. Then again, she did prove herself to be a familiar enigma whilst she was in the body of Haruno Sakura. The young Uchiha closed his eyes for a bit. In all honesty, all this time, he had been hoping that she hadn't died that day on the bridge. In the back of his mind, there was a glimmer of anticipation for her return. But again, she inhabited the form of another. He wished he knew how this jutsu worked. To maintain dominance of a person's body seemed impossible. However, Mayu had done it twice. His eyebrows knitted together. Didn't she say that she wasn't a ninja? Sasuke was so deep in his thoughts that he did not notice the gleam in Mayu's eye. However, it was far too late to do anything. She had unleashed her 'attack' on his body. "Hidden Leaf Ancient Taijutsu Supreme Technique!" She pointed her erect hand sign into Sasuke's rear end. "A thousand years of pain!"

Sasuke didn't like the attack at all. He thought of many ways to kill Mayu and make it look like an accident as he soared through the air. After he crashed landed, he could hear the obnoxious laughter coming from the girl. She seemed to be ignoring the glare that was being inflicted upon her. "I-I-I- ca-can't brea-breathe!" Chortling, she fell to the ground. Mayu also didn't seem to care for the twitching in Sasuke's eye either. Finally, she managed to calm herself in favor of remembering why she had done it in the first place. Mayu returned the heated stare, causing the young Uchiha to look a bit confused. "Didn't I tell you _not _to tell anyone? And what's the first thing bird brain goes and does? Tells someone…!"

"It just came out!" Sasuke protested.

"Oh right! Like I'm supposed to believe that! How did the conversation go, Sasuke? _Huh_?" Mayu asked. She cleared her throat, and then spoke again. "'Sasuke, on going to train you for the chuunin exam!'" She tried to sound like Kakashi, but her impersonation was quite bad. "'Okay! And by the way sensei, there's a girl named Mayu inside Hinata! And guess what? She was in Sakura's body for that first month after we became a team! I need you to go get her so we can settle who's stronger!'" That time, she had tried sounding like Sasuke. Again, the impersonation was awful. Her face returned to that of a glare. "I can't _believe _you told my business like that!"

"But..." There wasn't much to deny, seeing as how the conversation did go a little something like that.

Kakashi watched all of this with amusement. _"It's funny..."_ he thought, smiling underneath his mask. _"It's like the two are oil and water and yet... they mix so well."_

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, bird brain!" Mayu shook her head and crossed her arms. "Just admit you did something stupid!" Not wanting to admit it, Sasuke grumbled. She blinked once, and then without a word walked over to the Uchiha. The shinobi stepped back, but Mayu didn't seem to care. Her hand reached out and took a hold of his shirt, revealing his neck. She pulled at the collar so that she could see his shoulder. Her eyes narrowed, seeing the three familiar markings. _"As I thought, that bastard still got him,"_ Mayu thought, biting her bottom lip. She roughly pushed Sasuke away, causing him to complain about it. However, she only turned her eyes to the ground. _"Sasuke…" _Eventually, this shinobi will leave the village in search of power, and it's all because the mark will erode his logical mind.

"Mayu…? What's wrong with you?" Sasuke asked. The girl put on a fake smile.

"Are you saying I'm normal?" she asked. He frowned in response and muttered how abnormal she truly was. This, of course, caused Mayu to hold back slapping his head. What a rude comment to make! Still… _"Maybe I could... convince him to stay and... those certain events won't ever happen."_

"Okay, you two!" Kakashi said, making the two turn to him. "I have to pick something up before we start Sasuke's training! So, until then you guys can do whatever! Bye!" Before either of them could utter 'huh,' Kakashi was gone. Mayu's expression turned flat as she stared at the spot where the jounin disappeared.

"He totally just left us, didn't he?"

"What was your first clue?" Sasuke's sarcastic response caused Mayu to glare his way. Ignoring it, the Uchiha sat back down. "This could take awhile."_  
_  
"Yeah, he's always late! I'd be surprised he _only _took an hour!" She also sat down, right across from Sasuke. She sighed heavily. "I hope he brings something to eat. I didn't get a chance to eat breakfast because of Hinata's abrasive dad. How'd he expect Hinata to fight Neji on an empty stomach? I wouldn't do that to my child." Sasuke raised a brow.

"Hyuga Neji…?" He scoffed. "I didn't get to see his fight. I didn't get to see any of the preliminary fights either."

"You didn't miss anything. I totally kicked his ass because he underestimated us." A grin spread on Hinata's face. "I bet he's scared of his cousin now. _Fufufu…_!"

"I doubt it," Sasuke replied. "I met that guy, and he doesn't seem to be a person who'd scare easily."

"You didn't see us _wipe the floor_ with him!"

"Hinata's strong? She was always so quiet in the Academy. She wasn't even in the top three."

"Believe me when I say that there's a monster inside her, waiting to be unleashed upon the world!"

"Yeah… I think you're that monster."

"I'm getting tired of your smartass comments, Sasuke." Without warning, she lunged at him, tackling him to the ground.

"What-?" Sasuke found his arms pinned above his head. He blinked rapidly, and then stared, wide-eyed up at his captor. "Wh-What are you doing?"

"Are you mad?" Mayu asked, smirking. "In this body, I'm stronger than I was before. I haven't just been sitting on my ass after Sakura, you know." No matter how much Sasuke struggled, he could not escape from the vice grip. "I've gotten better, and now that I can combine my abilities with Hinata's, you really don't stand a chance against me." Her eyes narrowed. "Call this payback for that tree incident."

"So you… really were upset that I overpowered you?" Sasuke replied through clenched teeth.

"Of course I was! Being in that position… I was angry with myself!" Mayu stated. "Never again will you be able to do that to me. Got it?"

"Get off."

Averting her eyes, Mayu loosened her grip and rolled over. She was now on her back, staring up at the blue sky. "I don't care how you felt… The next time you do that, I won't go easy on you!" Sasuke threatened as he sat up. Mayu closed her eyes, smiling. "Strength isn't everything!" Mayu sat up as well. She turned hard eyes on him.

"That's right! Strength _isn't_ everything, Sasuke. You remember your words clearly!" she said. Sasuke could only knit his eyebrows together in confusion. Mayu was too weird. What did she truly want from him? She smirked again before looking up at the sky again. Sasuke narrowed his eyes. He didn't understand her at all. "Hey…" After a few minutes of silence, she spoke again. "I'm bored. Let's play a game."

"Let's not," Sasuke retorted.

"Come on. It'll make both of us feel better!"

"Doubt it."

"You antisocial jackass."

"… It so weird hearing Hinata use this language."

"It is, isn't it?" Mayu mused. "Should I separate from her?" It was a question directed at Sasuke, and yet Mayu performed the hand signs for the Clone Jutsu, anyway. She now stood in front of him, twirling on the ball of her left foot. She then finished off with some ridiculous pose. "In the name of the moon, I will punish you!"

"…"

"…" Hinata hesitantly clapped her hands.

"I'm going to need you to never do that again."

"_Aww_, you're no fun!" Mayu stuck her tongue out. She then shifted her blue eyes to Hinata. "Even though we ended up losing to Neji, and aren't in the chuunin exam, I think we should focus on getting stronger, too."

"Bu-But…"

"No buts! You're going to be Sasuke's training partner, too!"

"Training partner…?" Dark eyes glanced in Hinata's direction. The heiress '_eeped_' and scooted away from him. He turned a flat expression back to Mayu, who was sweating nervously. "I decline."

"Come on, Hinata's kickass! She could have won against Neji on her own—you should have seen her!" Mayu explained. "She's just… super shy about it."

"I don't think it's gonna happen."

"Screw you! Me and Hinata will be your training partners. You'll need her because there's a chance you will be fighting Neji." She crossed her arms. "I'm going to be serious about this, Sasuke, so you should, too."

"Are do you care what happens to me in the exam, anyway?"

"Because we're _friends_, asshole!"

"Yeah, I can feel the love."

"You sarcastic little-"

"Mayu, Sasuke… Hinata?" Kakashi voice got their attention. He blinked several times before shrugging his shoulders. He cleared his throat. "We're moving to a different location now that you two are sparring. I can't have Hinata going home with rocks and rumble on her. Let's go."

"Where's breakfast?" Mayu asked, completely forgetting the insult she was about to give to Sasuke.

0-0

Pacing back and forth was really starting to become annoying. Mayu had been doing it for the past several minutes. She was eating at the same time, too. Eyebrow twitching, Sasuke finished off the breakfast Mayu had forced Kakashi to retrieve. From the looks of it, she was almost done as well. During her pacing, he noticed that her eyes glanced in his direction every so often, which added to his annoyance. Admittedly, he was probably the only one bothered by Mayu's actions. Kakashi sat in a nearby tree, reading his book. Hinata sat under that tree, eating at a slow pace. She wasn't even half-way finished with her meal.

Suddenly, gave a loud sigh and stated that she was finished eating. Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Kakashi-sensei, if you're still busy, can I begin?" she asked, staring up at the jounin. The silver-haired ninja gave the go ahead with a wave of his hand. His eye never lifted from the pages in his book. Mayu seemed to cackle insanely. This did not bode well. "Listen up, maggot!" He effin knew it. "There are several people you need to know about, but since I only have information on a few, only three people's information will be revealed! Gaara-kun, Neji, and Temari are _probably _the strongest."

"Temari…? Isn't that a girl?"

"Does it make a difference if she is a girl?"

"… No."

"Then shut up, _maggot_!" Mayu heatedly ordered. Sasuke almost growled. "The reason I say that might be the strongest is because they all have attacks that could be considered offensive _and _defensive." She smirked at his expression. "The thing that needs the most improvement is your speed."

"What's wrong with my speed?" Sasuke asked.

"It won't be good enough against opponents like Gaara-kun, Neji, or Temari," Mayu explained. "You have to be faster than Gaara's sand, Neji's hands, and Temari's wind techniques or you'll most definitely lose!"

"You don't believe in my abilities at all, do you?"

"But she's right Sasuke," Kakashi stated before Mayu could retort something. "As of now, your speed is not enough." He went back to reading his book. "For now, listen to what Mayu has to say. She could be of assistance."

"Thank you for agreeing, Kakashi-sensei!" Mayu said even though the man was already submerged in his reading. Sasuke almost pouted, but decided against it. "So here's the exercise! Hinata will act as your opponent. Your mission: touch her. Anywhere is fine, just as long as you touch her." The Hyuga heiress fidgeted where she sat, looking uncomfortable with that mission. Mayu noticed her uneasiness and narrowed her eyes at Sasuke. "Don't you dare try to cop a feel either. I'll beat you until your ancestor feels it! Got it?" At her threat, both Sasuke and Hinata turned cherry red.

"Like I even thinking about that!"

"M-M-Ma-Ma-Mayu-san…!"

"Anyway! That's too easy. How is that training me on my speed?" Sasuke asked once the blush was effectively wiped from his face.

"It's not so easy when you have to get through me," Mayu stated. Sasuke's eyes widen slightly. "I will be acting as a shield and sword, so you better keep up!"

"_Teh_, bring it on!" Sasuke said. He took out a kunai and stood up.

"Right! Let's do this! Hinata…!" At Mayu's demand, the Hyuga hesitantly stood up from the base of the tree, leaving her food behind. "Let me give you a fair warning, Sasuke." The girl turned her eyes back to the Uchiha. "This _is_ training, and because of who I am, I will take this seriously and not hold back! Can you handle my combination plus two more months of taijutsu training?"

"Is that supposed to intimidate me?" Sasuke scowled.

"No, just a question." Hinata stood behind Mayu. Blue Hyuga eyes glanced back at the heiress. "Let's get started then. Make me proud, my poor student!"

"_It's like she doesn't think I can do anything!"_ Sasuke thought, shifting his foot back. Did she honestly think she was the only one who got stronger in the two months they were apart? _"I'll show her what I can do...!"  
__**  
**_0-0


	4. Chapter 4

Mayu smirked as she pulled a kunai from her weapon's pouch. Hinata stood a little ways behind her, appearing almost bored. This only added to Sasuke's irritation. She was becoming a bit like Mayu. His annoyance with this whole situation couldn't get any worse. The three of them had been at this little exercise for a week now, and he still had not managed to lay a finger on the heiress of the Hyuga clan. Right now, because of her combined abilities, Mayu was faster and stronger than he was. It was a bit unfair that he had to get pass her. Then again, she was acting like a shield and sword to prepare him for the finals.

Still, it pissed him off. She didn't have to taunt him. Well, she hadn't necessarily taunted him, but every time he was knocked to the ground, his pride was further injured. "Come on, Sasuke." Mayu beckoned him with a finger. "It's time to start thinking outside the box. Do something I wouldn't expect and perhaps you'll finally hit Hinata?" Almost snarling, Sasuke dashed across the field. Mayu narrowed her eyes and ran out him as well. Mere centimeters before colliding, the young Uchiha twirled on the ball of his right foot, moving around the punch Mayu had thrown. This movement also got him around her body. Hinata was in his sights. He had led her into a false sense of security by continuously going straight. She wasn't prepared for his evasive movement. Sasuke couldn't help the smirk as he continued moving towards Hinata. His arm extended, fingers reaching for the Hyuga's arm. However, something thin wrapped around his ankle, causing him to trip and fall right in front of his target. Groaning, he felt himself being pulled back, away from Hinata. "That was better," Mayu commented as she continued to reel him in with the wire. "You're learning that not just speed will get the job done." She stopped pulling, and then squatted down to remove the wire from his leg. Once she was finished, she tapped the back of his knee. Sasuke rolled over and glared at her. "Now, now, Sasuke, I've given you quite of a lot hints these past few days, and you still haven't figured it out."

"Shut up!" His leg shot out, hitting her jaw. The girl slid back, hissing in pain. Sasuke took this chance to tackle her to the ground. He grabbed a fist fool of her hair, almost yanking it out as he pinned the strands to the ground. Mayu still tried to attack with her arms, so Sasuke pinned those down by the use of his knees. "You think you're so great?" he shouted. "I'm the best genin in the Leaf village—not you!"

"Sounds like-" Mayu grimaced, squeezing her eyes shut. "-Like someone needs a hug." Stupid girl, making jokes at a time like this… She would never change. Sasuke reared his right fist back, preparing to punch. Before he could, though, he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. Following his instincts, he flipped off of Mayu, pulling a kunai out. Luckily he had. Hinata had thrown a flurry of shuriken his way. Damn, he had forgotten about her. There were times where she could attack, although it was supposed to be Mayu. Speaking of the girl, she was moving to her feet, rubbing her head. "Okay, you bastard," she nearly growled. "You got me, but it's not enough." She suddenly laughed out. "Hitting me without remorse… Should you be doing that, Sasuke? After all, I'm merely a civilian and a girl."

"Don't give me that bullshit!" Sasuke frowned. "You're a fighter, so I'm going to treat you like it. You being a girl has nothing to do with it." She actually smiled.

"I was only confirming something, Sasuke," Mayu said. "I just wanted to see if you were still taking it easy on me." Her pale blue eyes shifted over to the tree Kakashi sat in. "Kakashi-sensei," she called. "I believe you have assessed his abilities well enough, right?" With a sigh, the jounin closed his book. He hopped from the tree.

"I believe I have," he said. "It's time to start your _real_ training." Sasuke blinked in confusion at the little exchange between Kakashi and Mayu. "After lunch, Hinata and Mayu will leave."

"What? Why?" Sasuke blurted. "I still haven't-"

"Don't worry. Both will return, for the same exercise, once I finish training you," Kakashi stated.

"Yeah, so you better be better when I come back for you!" Mayu pointed a finger. "But don't think I'll sit on my ass for the rest of this month, Sasuke!"

"You've been planning this the entire time?" he asked. Mayu's grin told him that they had. Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Well, fine… I guess."

"Oh, you sound disappointed," Kakashi commented.

"No I don't!" Sasuke was quick to protest.

"You know a quick response means lying, don't you?"

"Shut up!"

"Sasuke, you shouldn't disrespect your sensei!"

"You be quiet, too, Mayu."

"I'm hungry," she replied, causing Sasuke to give a flat look. Her blue Hyuga eyes looked back at Kakashi. "What are you waiting for?"

"Now who's being disrespectful?" Sasuke rolled his eyes as the jounin disappeared. Hinata sighed lightly before heading over to sit down at the base of a tree. Mayu sat down as well, but in the same spot she had been standing. Scoffing, the young Uchiha sat, too. He saw the grin before Mayu crawled over to him. "What?" Sasuke asked after she hadn't said anything.

"Do you know how much I've wanted to fight you?" Mayu asked; this only caused Sasuke to blink in confusion. "One day, I want to fight with you, in my own body, when we're both on the same level."

"… Why?"

"Because you are an amazing fighter, and I wanted to fight using our own abilities, with no one else interfering—no outside help. Just the two of us." Sasuke found himself swallowing hard. Her words caused a sense of intense anticipation. He didn't understand why, though. Maybe it was her eyes. Despite being Hyuga, her eyes were similar to how Sakura's eyes used to look. She had been so upset that time, and then she had spoken of her own vengeance. That determined look—it was admirable. He hadn't seen that look in a girl's eye before unless it had something to do with their crush. This wasn't a crush, right? Mayu didn't… _like_ him, did she? He bit his lip. That thought didn't send him into a fit of annoyance and slight revulsion like it should have. Suddenly, Mayu looked away. However, the smile remained. "So let's plan for that, ne?" Sasuke blinked again.

"Ri-Right," he said. "At that time, I won't go easy on you."

"You better not, or I'll make sure you pay for it!" Mayu threatened with a smirk. "After all, if I were to take away that thing that makes you a boy, then I'm sure a lot of people would hunt me down, and I can't have that."

"What is _wrong_ with you?" Sasuke winced.

"If you hold back against me, I'll assume it's because you think a girl can't handle it, so I'll be forced to make you a girl so we can fight on equal terms."

"… I'm going to make sure I'm never in kicking range around you."

Mayu only giggled. "_Ah_…! That reminds me!" Her eyebrows furrowed. "Besides your revenge, you said you also wanted to restore your clan, right?"

"Why are you asking that now?"

"I was just wondering. I mean, you're so focused on your goal to avenge you clan, so that must mean you're focused on restoring your clan, too, right? Who's gonna be the baby maker?" She was completely serious. Blue eyes blinked innocently as she waited for his response. Sasuke's cheeks flushed as he turned his eyes away.

"Don't be stupid!" he exclaimed. "My revenge comes first, not last! Of course I haven't been thinking of… of how I'm going to restore the clan yet!"

"_Hm_…? I think that is silly. I mean, what if you were to die in the battle? Then your legacy will cease to exist," Mayu thoughtfully stated. "You have to plan for this, Sasuke." She shook her head as if she couldn't stand his stupidity. "Make sure to impregnate the love of your life before you go running off into a life-or-death situation!"

"Why are you even asking me about this? Do _you_ want that position or something?" Sasuke grimaced as soon as he was finished. The moment he stopped, he wanted to take it all back. He hadn't meant for any of that to come out. Mayu sat there, looking stunned for a moment. And then laughed… really hard. Sasuke's eye twitched as he watched the girl grabbed her stomach and fall forward. She even had the nerve to slap the ground, complaining that she couldn't breathe. Was the idea that farfetched? Finally, Sasuke couldn't take it anymore and kicked her side, causing her to roll over.

"_OW_!"

"Serves you right, idiot." Sasuke crossed his arms and averted his eyes.

"Why you little-"

"Yo!" Kakashi appeared, holding boxed lunches for everyone. Mayu's attention shifted towards him.

"Yay!" she cheered as she stood up. "Thanks for the food!"

"_She's not that hard to please,"_ Sasuke thought with a roll of his eyes.

0-0

With her arm stretched up high, Mayu waved goodbye. "Bye, Sasuke!" she exclaimed. The young Uchiha tried to ignore her, but he couldn't help but glance at the departing girls. "You better be stronger next time I see you~!" This only caused him to scowl and turn away. Smirking, Mayu ran to catch up with Hinata. "Are you ready for _our_ training?" The heiress dipped her head in a nod. "Good, let's go to the usual spot. I've been thinking about changing it a bit to help you more."

"Help me _more_…?" Hinata repeated. Mayu only grinned. The Hyuga didn't understand. Her friend's training regime has helped immensely since they've started. The first day was a simple spar. She believed that Mayu wanted to see what she was working with—a basic assessment. Kurenai-sensei had done the same when the team was first formed. The second day, and the days that followed were considerably hard. Mayu had told her that her body was too weak. That judgment had hurt, but Hinata knew that it was true. Quickly, Mayu had said that she, herself, wasn't weak, just her body. Hinata wouldn't be able to stand too many direct hits in a battle—that's what she had meant. And so, from then on, the training focused on her body's endurance.

It was brutal. Mayu had been relentless in her attacks. Hinata couldn't even defend against her. She _had_ to take it all. Bruises, blood, and soreness was something she had come quite accustomed to. Not only that, but Mayu also made her run laps, do countless sit-ups and, what she called, jumping jacks, all in an effort to toughen up her body. Of course, as she coached, Mayu had participated as well. However, since placing her full strength into her fist was something Hinata could not do, yet, Mayu usually walked away from training free of blood and bruises. It had only been a few days, but Hinata felt physically stronger than she was. What else could Mayu possibly have in store for her?

The two girls reached their designated training area. No one came to this place. It had taken nearly a whole day to find it. Everywhere else that they had looked at had evidence of being used. The ground and or trees were usually damaged. But this spot had been clean of that. That's how Mayu deduced that this was a free training field. Her unnatural twin turned to face her, still wearing that grin. "Okay, we're still going to do endurance training, but there will be something added to it," she stated. "You're going to use your voice, Hinata."

"My voice…?"

"Yes, your voice is cute, but people most likely won't take you seriously in the world of ninja," Mayu explained. Hinata lowered her head. "And as the heiress of your clan, you will need assertiveness, not meekness, in your voice. Even if you're not confident, having a forceful tone will give the illusion of you being confident, making people _want_ to follow you."

"I suppose… that makes sense," Hinata agreed. "But how can a person train their voice?"

"Simple…" Mayu's grin widened. "You're going to shout it out."

"_Eh_?"

"Yes, you're going to shout. Shout out your frustrations, shout out your pain, and shout out your happiness— you're going to do it all."

"B-But I hardly think-"

"Now, now, Hinata-chan…!" Mayu wagged her finger as she winked. "You should only argue when you know the subject better."

"Y-Yes…"

"Trust me! In one month's time, we won't need to switch places to let me… _handle things_." The girl snapped her fingers. "Now let's get started!"

0-0

It was hours later when the two of them stopped their training for today. Both were panting heavily. Hinata was on the ground, arms spread as. Her half-closed eyes were staring up at the night sky. There was a full moon tonight. Mayu stood, though she was bent over with her hands on her knees. Sweat dropped from her chin. Today, there had been no breaks in the training. If she had been in her normal body, there was no way she would be able to last this long. She swallowed hard before attempting to stand up straight. Her knees wobbled, though. "Okay… I think that's enough," she panted out. "Peace out, holmes."

Before Hinata could question her words, Mayu disappeared in a puff of smoke. With her disappearance came the sudden burst of energy—at least enough energy to get home without stumbling, anyway. With a grunt, the Hyuga heiress sat up, and then moved to stand. She was going to feel this in the morning, that which was certain. Sighing, Hinata took a step forward preparing to return to town. Before she returned home, she needed to buy some more ointment. With Mayu around, she was running out of it quite frequently.

After searching several stores—most of them had been closed by then—Hinata finally found what she was looking for. Usually, she made her own ointment. However, with how her days were going, she wouldn't have enough time. Sighing a bit, the heiress began her journey home. She couldn't wait to completely relax her body within the comforts of her room. For a moment, she closed her eyes. Hopefully her father wouldn't request her presence upon arrival again. Mayu has easily lied to him and said that the Hokage wouldn't allow her to discuss the details with him. However, since Mayu was asleep, that could be a problem for Hinata.

Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she spotted movement. The streets were completely deserted at a time like this. It was odd that not everyone was gone. It could just be another person returning from training. But there was something odd about it. The movement seemed to lurk in the shadows. Silently, Hinata activated her advanced bloodline. Just as she thought, there was a chakra network in the alley. It jumped onto a roof. The heiress blinked, shutting down her Byakugan.

**Let's go check it out!**

Hinata almost flinched. She had thought Mayu had been asleep. _"I don't think that's a good idea…"_ Her eyes narrowed. _"I have a bad feeling."_ A scoff was given in response. After a few moments, Mayu demanded that she perform the Clone Jutsu. _"But my chakra is-"_

**You're fine, just do it!**

With a sigh, Hinata did as she was told. Seconds later, her unusual twin appeared. She was shaking her head as if disappointed. "Hinata, if there is something you want, then you have to fight for it, okay? Don't just give up because I was forceful."

"Yes…" she wearily replied. Truthfully, she was too exhausted to argue. Mayu patted her left shoulder twice before heading off in the direction of the alley, giving a wave of goodbye. Hinata frowned lightly. _"Mayu-san… Is this alright?"_ she thought, and then she headed home.

Once Mayu was sure her counterpart was gone, she turned her eyes to the wall. Silently, she scaled it, using the little bit of chakra she had left. If she had seen correctly, that mummy guy had just jumped to the roof of this building. Dosu, if she remembered right. There was a loud crashing noise, which caused Mayu to stop. She blinked several times. _"Maybe this isn't such a good idea,"_ she thought. After all, if that noise was any indication. Dosu was dead because he had bothered Gaara. The girl shook her head. No! She came here on a mission. And that mission had to be carried out. It was _Gaara_, her absolute favorite character!

With a determined nod, Mayu pulled herself up onto the roof. What she saw made her involuntarily gasp. Dosu's mangled body had blood oozing out of it. Then she spotted Gaara on his knees. The host of the one-tailed demon was panting lightly. The roof was a bit damaged from the destruction his hand caused. She scratched her cheek. More and more, she felt uncomfortable about this situation. "_Eh_… Gaara-kun…?" His head snapped in her direction, causing Mayu to freeze. "I… I come in peace!" she exclaimed when a murderous glare was thrown her way.

"What do you want?" he asked. Uneasily, Mayu took a step forward. Gaara only stared, so she continued to do this. "I will ask again before I kill you where you stand." This made her halt, mid step.

"I just wanna… talk, Gaara-kun," Mayu answered. His expression turned confused. "I want to be your friend." Seeing his confused look made her nervousness drift away. After all, it was quite cute on him. Gaara repeated 'friend' as if he had never heard it before. Truly tragic, that was. "You know… an ally?" His cute confused look didn't disappear. "A friend is someone you can depend on—a person that you can talk to about anything at all. A friend will make you smile even when you're feeling sad. And as of now, I proclaim myself… Gaara-kun's friend!" During her speech, she had resumed moving forward. She now stood in front of him. She dropped down to his sitting height. She smiled a genuine smile. Gaara's eyes widened. "Put 'er there, pal!" She thrust her right hand forward. He only looked even more confused. "Oh, sorry… That's my mom's upbringing coming out." Mayu chuckled. "You're supposed to shake it. To show him, she grabbed her own hand and shook. "You try," she told him, holding out her hand again. To her utter joy, Gaara glanced at his own hands, and then imitated her exactly by shaking his own hand. _"Cute~! I wanna hug him so bad!"_ she thought. However, she refrained from doing that. After all, this was only their second encounter. Still, she did grab his hand and shook. "You shake _my_ hand, silly!" She released him quickly. "Now we're officially friends."

"Why…?" he questioned.

"Why?" Mayu repeated. "Well, I like you, of course. Besides, we can all use a friend."

"You're… strange," Gaara remarked.

"Well, normal's boring, don't you know?" she replied. "Look forward to me cheering for you in your match, Gaara-kun." The girl stood up. "See you around, I hope!" Before Gaara could respond, the girl disappeared in a cloud of smoke. She had been frantically waving.

"Strange…" he repeated.

0-0

It had been a few days since that late night adventure, and Mayu had still not took the time to explain what she had been doing. Hinata didn't really mind her secrecy, but she wished she wouldn't have suddenly popped in out of nowhere. She had been in the middle of a bath, after all. She had almost drowned because she had been so startled by the loud voice in her head. Currently, she was heading for the training spot with a bag full of fruit. Her hands were completely occupied because it was large paper bag.

The girl suddenly halted. Her eyes grew wide. There, standing a few meters away was Uzumaki Naruto, her crush. The crush that everyone knew about apparently. She swallowed hard, feeling her heart speed up. Although he looked pretty pitiful on the ground like that, having just received a punch from his female teammate, a glimpse of him still caused her heart to face. "Na-Naruto-kun…" she murmured. Quickly, she hid behind the fence. Seconds later, Sakura walked by, grumbling to herself. Once she was gone, the Hyuga heiress quietly made her way over to the blond shinobi. "Na… Naru-Naruto-kun, are yo-you al-all ri-right?" Although, she had gotten better with her voice thanks to Mayu's influence, she still stammered in the presence of her crush. Naruto groaned as he sat up. His eyes found the timid girl's. Squinting his eyes, he rubbed his cheek.

"Oh, hey, Hinata," he greeted. Trying hard not to stutter again, she repeated her question. "I'm fine! Sakura-chan just got a little angry, that's all. I'm used to it."

"You… You sho-shouldn't be used to some-something like that!" Hinata stated. Naruto blinked, surprised by her tone of voice. The Hyuga flushed, realizing what she had sounded like. "I-I mean, it isn't an-any-any of my bus-business. I-" Naruto, though, wasn't listening to her attempt at apologizing. He tilted his head to the side as he continued to look at her. Hinata was a girl, right? Strong, too, if her match with Neji was any indication. He grinned, not knowing the effects it had on the poor girl. Hinata took several steps back as Naruto stood. "Sin-Since you're fi-fine, I will le-leave yo-you now," she muttered, averting her eyes to the side. "I wish you lu-luck in the chu-chuunin exam." She turned to go, but her wrist was grabbed. Hinata gasped, feeling her stomach flop within her. _"Physical contact…!"_ she thought as the bag fell to the ground.

Without warning, he took her in his arms in a strong embrace. Hinata saw rainbows, puppies, roses, sparkles, and bubbles as the warmest feeling she had ever had overwhelmed her. And then the beautiful sight was over because she fainted. Naruto blinked, feeling the girl in his arms go limp. "_Eh_…? Hinata?" He shook her a bit. Finally, a groan reached his ears. The Hyuga was no longer limp.

"Sorry, Naruto-kun…" she said. "Why exactly did you hug me?"

"Oh, it's for training. The old man that's teaching me said I needed to," Naruto answered. He chuckled a bit. "He said hug a pretty girl. Weird, huh?"

"_Hahaha_… yeah," she replied, chuckling nervously.

"Anyway, sorry about the fruit," Naruto said. He then proceeded to pick up each and every single piece of fruit and place them back in the bag. "Here you go!" He handed to the lavender-eyed girl.

"Thank you, Naruto-kun."

"No problem!" He turned and waved. "See you! Cheer for me at the chuunin exam, okay? I'm gonna beat your cousin real bad!"

"You do that," she said. She waved goodbye. She didn't put her hand down until he was out of sight. _"Jeez, Hinata, did you really have to faint at that moment?"_ Scoffing, Mayu waved a hand at her face. It had gotten pretty hot thanks to her former, unknowing, teammate. "Just so you know, your confidence training will be doubled now."

**Ma-Mayu-san, no…**

"_Too bad! Shouldn't have fainted!"_

0-0

"HOT…!" Mayu's muffled voice shouted. Hinata sighed once again. This was the eighth time her strange twin had voiced her complaints. It had been her idea to dress in this… _getup_ in the first place. Still, here she was, complaining about it. While Hinata wore a simple blue shirt and dark pants. Mayu, in order not to be questioned, wore a long-sleeved jacket with the hood up—the drawstrings were pulled tight, which covered her hair and half of her forehead—gloves, round sunglasses, loose pants, boots, and to top it all off, a surgical mask. Hinata shook her head.

She had wanted to watch the matches with her 'own' eyes, and so she came up with this ridiculous outfit. "Mayu-san, are you sure this is what you want?" Hinata asked.

"Yes," the girl replied. "It's super hot, but I'll endure it for the chance to see the fights up close and personal!" Mayu didn't notice the slight eye roll from her counterpart. If she did, she would have been proud. However, her thoughts were focused on Gaara. _"I can't wait to see him again! I wonder if he remembers that we created a friendship_," she giggled in thought. Suddenly, there were multiple puffs of smoke that went off in the sky, signaling the start of the exam. "It's about to start! We'd better hurry!" The two girls began to run in the direction of the stadium.

When they reached the large structure, they had a hard time finding seats. However, they finally did, and the seats were right behind two familiar faces—Haruno Sakura and Yamanaka Ino. Because of Mayu, they were noticed right away. They both greeted Hinata. However, they looked at Mayu with 'CREEP!' written on their faces. "Ah, this is Mayu-san. She is my friend," Hinata introduced her. "Forgive her appearance. She is very sensitive to light, but still wanted to see the matches."

"What up?" Mayu greeted.

"Hello…" Sakura uneasily returned the greeting.

"Hm…" Ino narrowed her eyes. "You're not a ninja, are you?"

"No," was the reply.

"Great, another Shino," Ino muttered, turning back around.

Mayu heard her, but chose not to respond. After all, there were things much more important than arguing. "Gaara-kun's down there!" Her eyes were focused on the red head alone, never mind the other eight participants. "Wait, eight…? Where's Sasuke?" Oh, that's right. Last minute training with Kakashi. She couldn't believe she had forgotten so fast. Especially since she had just seen him yesterday. He had gotten extremely fast. He had passed her so fast that she barely had time to blink. Her instincts, alone prevented him from touching Hinata in the first three minutes. He had grabbed her wrist in the end, though. _"Still, he was probably only using a fraction of what he could against me." _Mayu smiled behind her mask. _"Don't you worry, Sasuke. I'll still get stronger."_

_This level—it'd better increase if we're going to fight each other. Got it?_

The girl almost scoffed as she remembered. Arrogant as usual. Sasuke would never change. Mayu crossed her arms, listening to the Hokage give the introduction speech. As he finished up, she overheard Sakura worrying about her teammate. Ino tried to console her. Back on the field, most of the participants were gone, leaving only Naruto and Neji. "They are about to begin," Hinata stated. She clasped her hands together and squeezed her eyes shut.

"Hey, Sakura… I understand that you're worried about Sasuke-kun," Ino mentioned. "Buy why don't you cheer Naruto on a bit?"

"Oh, right!"

"Then again, he has no chance since he's up against Neji," the blond kunoichi continued.

"You're wrong!" Hinata, to the surprise of Ino and Sakura, exclaimed. "Na-Naruto-kun has more than a chance… He will win! I know he will!" For a moment, the two only stared. Then Ino grinned cheekily.

"My, my, Hinata—didn't know you had so much faith in the idiot," she said. "Could you-" Hinata, blushing wildly, stammered out a change in topic. The match is starting, she nearly screamed. Ino only giggled as if she knew something.

"Tehe, Ino, I think I might like you," Mayu commented. Her eyes went back to the field. "Kick his fate loving butt, Naruto!" Despite being muffled, she cheered loudly for her former teammate. The blond ninja held out his fist.

"Even though Hinata doesn't need it… I will avenge her loss to you!" Naruto shouted, shocking the little group. Ino and Mayu then giggled manically, peering at Hinata with a gleam in their eyes.

"_This… isn't good,"_ Hinata thought, averting her eyes. Still, Naruto's proclamation made her heart swell. He was thinking of her? That was the best thing ever! That gave her the motivation to cheer him on out loud. Ignoring Ino and Mayu for now, she opened her mouth. "DO YOUR BEST, NA-NARUTO-KUN!" Her cheeks stained red as she settled back down. She decided to neglect the stunned faces she was receiving.

"_Yikes, the training really did work!" _Mayu thought.


	5. Chapter 5

Mayu smirked as she stared down at the field. The match between Temari and Shikamaru had just ended. The kunoichi came out on top, while the shinobi had given up. It was a good match between two great strategists. It was no wonder many liked to see those two together. Surely Shikamaru received many fans from this match alone. Ino, though, was pissed. She ranted how much of a waste it was, and how her teammate could have beaten Temari. Chouji, though, who had come sometime ago, only chuckled. He said that Shikamaru was just being Shikamaru. Mayu found herself nodded. _"Laziness…?"_ she thought.

Anyway, in the first match, Naruto won against Neji. It was a huge upset that had the crowd applauding loudly. Hinata hadn't stopped smiling since then. The second match was supposed to be between Hinata's teammate, Shino, and a shinobi from the Sand village, Kankuro. However, the puppeteer had forfeited before the match even started. He hadn't even gone down to the field. Luckily, Shikamaru and Temari's match was so good, or the people would have rioted. Now, Naruto was scolding Shikamaru was throwing the match. The lazy ninja merely ignored the shouts coming from the blond in favor of stretching.

"The next match is finally the Uchiha one!" A voice behind Mayu caused her ear to twitch.

"Yeah, but who's this Gaara kid?"

"Don't know, but I bet he's nothing compared to Uchiha Sasuke!" That person had the nerve to laugh. This comment caused anger to stir within Mayu. She turned around, pointing a finger.

"What was that, you bastard?" she yelled. "I'll have you know that Gaara-kun will mop the ground with Sasuke's _face_!"

"It… It wa-wasn't me…!" The random person nearly quivered in fear.

"Oh…" Mayu awkwardly turned back around and sat back down. She had caused quite the spectacle with that loud outburst.

"Mayu-san…" Hinata sounded disappointed and embarrassed.

"Anyway, anyway…!" Mayu looked for a way to change the subject. "I can't wait until Sasuke shows up! I want to see Gaara-kun in action!"

"What's so great about that Sand shinobi?" Ino questioned, turning her head. "I saw his match against Lee. He was brutal."

"Not important!" Mayu replied with a smile, though no one could see. "Besides, he's so cute when he's confused." She held her covered left cheek as she thought of all those times she had succeeded in making that cute expression appear. "That alone excuses his actions against Lee."

"He has no eyebrows! How is _that_ cute?" Ino sounded as if she was getting upset. "Sasuke-kun is _way_ better!"

"_Pfft_…! Yeah right!" Mayu retorted. She grinned widely. "If Sasuke didn't exist, I'm sure you'd be all over Gaara-kun, Ino!"

"No I wouldn't! He's _creepy_!"

"_Fufufu_! You say that now, but wait until he's _older_!" It was at this point that Ino scoffed and decided to ignore the delusional stranger. Mayu only snickered. She had to do _something_ to pass the time. Sasuke still hadn't arrived for his match! The proctor had even given a time limit. That time limit was almost over. Just as he was about to announce that the match was going to Gaara, Hatake Kakashi and Uchiha Sasuke suddenly appeared in a whirlwind of leaves. Once the wind cleared and the leaves dropped, the relieved cheering began. The audience was super exciting to see the match.

Mayu blinked at the appearance of Sasuke. He was wearing all black now. What happened to his blue attire? She glowered. Trust Sasuke to be the only one to show off a new outfit for his match. Sakura seemed really happen to see her teammate arrive on time. Well, technically he was still late. It was then that Mayu heard the voice her of second favorite male character—Rock Lee. Fortunately, she could control the beast within—her inner fangirl—around him. It if had been Gaara in such a close proximity, then things could end up the same as last time. She turned her eyes back to the field. Sasuke and Naruto were having a conversation.

"YAY! SASUKE-KUN!" Ino suddenly screamed. She had even stood up. After annoying those around her, she sat back down. "Sakura, your team is amazing!" Even though it was obvious, Sakura still questioned what she meant. "Because Naruto beat Hyuga Neji! And Sasuke-kun is an elite Uchiha. It looks like everyone has been itching to see Sasuke-kun's match." Mayu found herself crossing her arms. Her eyebrow twitched several times. Was she the only one that was going to cheer for Gaara?

"Silly, Ino, _Sasuke-kun_-" Mayu mocked. "-isn't as great as you think he is!"

"What was that?" Ino turned around again, glare evident on her face.

"_Ha_! You _know_ who looks better! Uchiha Sasuke is so boring to look at, and yet Gaara-kun has a wild exotic look," Mayu explained. "I bet his babies will be super cute!" She clasped her hands together. "I bet that if you and he were to get together, the kids would be _natural beauties_ who wouldn't need makeup!" Ino flushed, clearing upset. Just as she was about to retort, another voice got their attention. It was Hatake Kakashi.

"Hey, Gai and Lee-kun. How is your body?"

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura suddenly yelled out.

"Oh, sorry, sorry," he replied. "You must've been worried. I'm sorry I didn't let you know about this."

"I don't care about that anymore…" she muttered. Mayu scoffed, and then turned to the silver-haired male.

"Kakashi-sensei, your tardiness is starting to rub off on Sasuke?" At his confused look, she pulled down the sunglasses, revealing her blue Hyuga eyes. Kakashi suddenly chuckled.

"Yes, I suppose it has," he said. Mayu chuckled as well. "It's great to see you again, Mayu. I didn't recognize you at all. Hinata is here, too."

"Yeah, I'm _incognito_!" Mayu gave a victory sign. "Naruto won his match!"

"That's good to hear," Kakashi remarked. And then Sakura asked him a question that Mayu didn't care about, so she focused back on the field. Naruto had disappeared, along with Shikamaru, and in their place stood Gaara. Mayu smiled. Finally, after missing it quite a few times, she would be able to see the match between Sasuke and him. The two shinobi stared at each other. Sasuke looked indifferently determined—Mayu didn't know how he pulled that off either—whilst Gaara looked murderously ecstatic. Everyone was completely into the intense vibe that was radiating off the two opponents. One could hear someone swallow spit in the silence. Mayu took this chance to let it be known who she was rooting for.

"YEAH! GAARA-KUN! DROP SASUKE LIKE A HOT POTATO!" She completely ignored the looks she received. She even had the nerve to stretch her arm up, waving down at the surprised looking red head. After a few awkward moments and coughs, the proctor raised his hand, signaling the beginning of the match.

0-0

The battle had raged on, completely taking the audience by storm. Mayu had been tense this entire time. This was much better than any AMV she had seen online. She could feel heat and wind, and the chakra produced from the fight was enough to make her shiver, especially since Gaara was relying on his demon. During the match, Naruto had come, along with Shikamaru. He had sounded afraid, telling Kakashi to stop the fight. However, the older shinobi waved his protest aside, saying that Sasuke could handle it. That is when the Uchiha pulled at his best attack—the Chidori. Gai, amazed, had explained the basics of the attack. It was apparently very similar to Kakashi's only original move—the Raikiri.

Sasuke had run from the wall and towards Gaara's absolute defense. The Chidori had managed to move right through the shield of sand, piercing the Sand shinobi on the inside. His blood-curdling scream sent the hushed whispers. Up until then, they had been extremely quiet. The ball of sand had cracked, and then returned to its original form. Gaara stood there, holding his shoulders. Blood spilled and dripped from the injury. Mayu held her hands together, genuinely worried. At the moment, things were at a standstill between Sasuke and Gaara.

Suddenly, she began to feel drowsy. It was weird because she shouldn't be feeling like this. After all, she and Hinata had gone to sleep really early for the chuunin exam matches. There was no way she should be feeling sleepy. That's when she saw the feathers. Mayu's eyes widened. She caught herself from falling over. _"Genjutsu…?"_ She turned to Hinata to see that she was about to drift off as well. Quickly, she closed her eyes and made herself go inside her host's body. Once there, she made a hand sign. Kakashi had taught her the way to get out of a genjutsu should she ever fall into one during the time she had helped to train Sasuke. Lucky that he did.

Once the effects of the genjutsu were gone, Mayu looked around. There were others in the audience that had done the same procedure, including Gai and Kakashi. Hinata, having recovered inside, questioned what was happening. Mayu shook her head. She knew what was happening. The invasion had started, and she had forgotten all about it. Before she could answer Hinata, an explosion was heard. The loud noise came from where the Kage were. Yes, this was the beginning of it all. Jumping over the sleeping audience, Mayu moved towards the edge and hopped over the railing. Kakashi had called out to her, but she paid no mind.

She used her chakra to run down the wall. Wasting no time, she appeared by Sasuke's side. He looked surprised to see her. "Hinata…? What is going on?"

"It's Mayu talking, and we're under attack!"

When the smoke cleared, it was revealed that the Kazekage had the Hokage by the neck, holding him hostage. Without warning, a purple rectangle shaped barrier appeared on the roof of the building. Again, Sasuke asked what was going on. Rolling her eyes, Mayu decided not to answer him again. This was no time for him to be an idiot. Her eyes found Gaara. Temari and Kankuro were by his side, telling him he needed to stop. Gaara, though, was still glaring at Sasuke, killer intent in his eyes. There team leader suddenly appeared in front of the three. "What are you three doing?" he asked, glancing back at them. "The mission has already commenced!" His eye turned to Mayu and Sasuke. "I'll take care of them."

"_Eh_?" Mayu's eyes widened. Fortunately the proctor stood in front of them protectively. Shiranui Genma was his name, and he liked to chew on senbon needles. Once again, Sasuke demanded to know what was going on. "It's _war_, Sasuke!" Mayu rounded on him, annoyed. "The Sand village has betrayed the Leaf!" His mouth dropped opened, clearly shocked. During this time, the traitors were having a conversation about using '_it_.' Mayu knew exactly what it was, and it caused her to swallow hard. During Gaara and Sasuke's match, she had seen a glimpse of it. That deformed arm belonged to Gaara's prisoner, the Shukaku.

"Gaara's the Sand's trump card," the half-faced man said. His name was Baki. "We must have Gaara fight no matter what. You three temporarily get away from here and treat Gaara's wounds. Once his chakra recovers… we will resume the mission."

"I understand," Kankuro stated, and then picked up his brother.

"But what about you?" Temari asked.

"I will deal with them, so go now!"

"You think you're going to have it your way?" Genma asked. He knew what this meant. Sweat dripped from his chin as Baki yelled at his two subordinates to leave. The siblings jumped and disappeared over the stadium wall. "Is Orochimaru the promoter of this party?"

"Who knows…?" came the coy response from Baki. "Let's enjoy it for now."

"Sasuke, Hinata," Genma called. Both focused on him. "The chuunin exam is over. If you're a ninja of the Leaf then be useful to the village. Go and stop those three from doing what they want." Sasuke and Mayu turned to one another, exchanging looks. They nodded once.

"Yes!" The two ran off, following after the three.

"You're not leaving!" Baki yelled, throwing a pair of kunai. The projectiles were deflected by the senbon in Genma's mouth. They collided and fell to the ground, giving Sasuke and Mayu leeway to continue their pursuit.

0-0

Much time had passed, and yet they had just seen the backs of their enemy. With some maneuverability, they had managed to get past the three. Mayu swallowed a bit. Kankuro and Temari were both glaring. Gaara seemed to be unconscious. Several minutes ago, they had laid traps for them. Explosive notes and whatnot. "Jeez, you'd think they'd want us dead, ne, Sasuke?" The Uchiha smirked, calling her a moron. His dark eyes turned to the Sand siblings.

"We've finally caught up," he said. "This is it for you all."

"Damn it…" Kankuro murmured.

"Uchiha Sasuke," Temari frowned. Her dark green eyes shifted to Mayu. "You're the weird girl from the preliminaries—Hyuga Hinata!"

"_Hahahaha_!" Mayu laughed nervously, scratching her cheek. "That wasn't the best side of me!" Her awkward chuckles subsided. She then smirked. "But you know of my abilities, don't you, Temari?" The Sand kunoichi showed her teeth, definitely not smiling. "How about you quietly hand over Gaara-kun, and maybe things won't get ugly?"

"Don't be lenient, Mayu." Sasuke balanced a kunai on his index finger. "They're not going anywhere either way." The girl rolled her eyes.

"You really are a show off—worse than Naruto!" she remarked. The Uchiha faltered a bit, and then glared at his comrade.

"Would you focus already!" he shouted. "I knew you shouldn't have come!"

"Well it's too late now, isn't it?" Mayu merely stuck out her tongue.

"You're impossible!"

"Well, you're a bird brain!"

"And you're a little moron!"

"Say that again, asshole!"

"YOU'RE A LITTLE MORON!"

"BRAT!"

"IDIOT!"

Meanwhile, Kankuro and Temari watched the argument transpire. They blinked several times, surprised that the two had lost focus so quickly. The Sand kunoichi thought it was possible for the girl after seeing her match with her Hyuga cousin, but not Uchiha Sasuke. "Why are they fighting each other, Temari?" Kankuro blinked, producing a flat look.

"My guess is that one of them is an idiot." The kunoichi's expression turned sour. "And I'm pretty sure I can't tell which one that is." Finally, the argument had come to a close. The two younger people returned their eyes back to the enemy, heated debate completely forgotten. Temari's eyebrow twitched several times. She was definitely annoyed with these two. "Kankuro! You go ahead! I will kill them!"

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Positive!" There was an evil gleam in her eye, causing Mayu to grimace. "Go now!" Her brother nodded quickly, and then took off. Temari narrowed her eyes, pulling her giant fan from her back. "Bring it on."

"Mayu, you go after that guy. I'll stop her, and then catch up to you," Sasuke whispered. Mayu raised a brow, and then shrugged. She followed after the puppet ninja, giving a quick glance at Temari. The kunoichi was strong, but she did use a lot of chakra when she went against Shikamaru. Sasuke would be able to get passed her fast, right? Her eyes looked straight ahead. In that case, she needed to speed things up a bit. It only took a moment to find Kankuro. He had been lying in wait for her. Mayu stopped, a few trees away from the Sand shinobi, and stared. He grinned at her, looking smug.

"You think you can take me on, little girl?" he asked. Mayu blinked.

"Oh, you're underestimating me? Pity that," she said. "The last time someone did that, I kicked their ass. I suppose you'll have to be Hyuga Hinata's next victim." Her eyes went over to Gaara. "But right now, my concern isn't you, so just back off."

"There's no way I'm going to let you kill Gaara!" Kankuro shouted. He moved to remove his puppet. However, Mayu reacted quickly. She appeared behind the Sand shinobi, backhanding him away from the tree branch. Grunting from the impact, Kankuro held the side of his neck and put some distance between them. "You bitch!" With an eye roll, Mayu dropped down to Gaara's still form. He was still unconscious. He was still injured, too.

"Sasuke hurt you pretty bad, huh, Gaara-kun?" She rested a hand on his shoulder. A choked out '-_kun_?' came from Kankuro. "You're not used to physical pain, are you?" Expectedly, the red head did not answer because he was still out. Mayu slung his arm over her shoulder and, with her and Hinata's combined strength, lifted the knocked out Sand shinobi up. Kankuro shouted in anger, but before he could attempt to retrieve his brother, Sasuke's voice caught his attention.

"Good job, Mayu," he said. "You've caught the enemy." He had been faster than expected. Temari must have been more tired than Mayu had believed her to be.

"_Ah_, indeed I did," she replied. Without another word, she ran away, leaving behind two confused shinobi. Surely, Kankuro would try to stop Sasuke. That gave her some time. It may have seemed selfish, but she truly cared for Gaara. She wasn't about to let Sasuke get his hands on him in his weakened state. Suddenly, she felt her companion moved around. He grunted a bit, causing Mayu to look down. His eyes were finally opened. He had returned. The girl halted her movement, landing on a branch. Gaara fell to his hands and knees. "Can you move?" Sea green eyes sharply turned her way.

"Who are you?"

"It's Mayu. Don't you remember? I'm your friend."

"Lies!" His arm weakly shot out, but Mayu moved out of the way. She shook her head, and then performed the clone jutsu. His eyes grew wide in shock. As in her match, the unusual clone had appeared. "You…" The girl removed the hood, gloves, face mask, and sunglasses. She tossed this all to the side. A simple dark blue tank top is what she wore.

"My name is Mayu," she stated. Then she smiled. "Don't forget about me again, Gaara-kun. I'm your friend."

"Mayu-san…" Hinata sounded concerned and confused. Without a warning, the two girls were pushed away. However, Gaara's eyes were on something else.

"M-Mayu…?" The sound of Sasuke's voice caused the girl in question to sharply turn her head. A look of disbelief had appeared on his face. He, clearly, had heard it all. "You… You were trying to help me this whole time?"

"I was!" Mayu answered, truthfully. Hinata, too, stared at her, surprised. "I'm not ashamed for helping a friend. I will never feel guilty about that! I'd do anything to protect him!"

"… Even betraying the Leaf? Betraying _me_?" Sasuke questioned.

"The Leaf village is not my home, but I am loyal to people in the village," Mayu stated. "However, I _love_ Gaara-kun." Sasuke's eyes expanded, and then he glare at her. His lip twitched up, showing a snarl.

"So then what about me?" he asked. "Am I not your friend? After all we've been through, you're choosing the _enemy_?" Mayu's jaw dropped. Sasuke sounded seriously upset with her. But… _why_? That didn't make any sense. The young Uchiha was basically admitting how deep their connection was. Okay, well, _now_ she felt guilty. Sasuke's fingers clenched as he tore his eyes away from Mayu, instead focusing on the wood beneath him. _"Mayu, you…"_ His teeth grind together. He was feeling really irritated at the moment. And he couldn't explain why. Jealousy…? Was that part of it? Mayu was _his_ secret. When she had been Sakura, they had connected, hadn't they? Their vengeance… Did she forget about that? Sasuke squeezed his eyes shut. But here she was declaring that she cared more for a stranger than him.

"You're my friend, too," Mayu said. Sasuke's dark eyes looked back at her. "But you and Gaara-kun… are two different people. Gaara-kun is precious to me. He needs what you already have, Sasuke… and that's why I side with him."

"So then I have no choice," Sasuke muttered. Hearing him, Mayu narrowed her eyes.

"Hinata," she got her host's attention. "You do not have to side with me. I understand if you do not want to. You have a choice."

"My homeland…" The Hyuga turned her eyes away. Then she jumped away, leaving Mayu with Gaara. Hinata didn't completely leave, though. Mayu was still her friend. She couldn't just leave her there. If the time comes, she would intervene.

"Sasuke, you are my friend, and I don't want to hurt you," Mayu stated, turning back to the Uchiha. "Leave now!"

"I am a ninja of the Leaf village. I will fight for the Leaf village," Sasuke responded. "Even if I have to fight you right now… I will."

"So be it."

"No, he's mine!" Gaara finally spoke up again. "Get out of the way!" Blue Hyuga eyes looked back and forth between Sasuke and the red head. She lowered her head. Honestly, she hadn't wanted to fight Sasuke—not right now. And so she backed away.

"Gaara…!" Temari interrupted the silence. She panted heavily, but she stood there, looking more worried for her brother than herself.

"So the gang's all here… Well, almost," Sasuke remarked. "I don't know what you Sand ninja are planning, but I will stop you! And I will determine what your true identity is!"

"True identity...? Mayu murmured. "What are you talking about, Sasuke? You're already talking to the real Gaara-kun. You make Leaf ninja look bad."

"_You_ stay out of this!" Sasuke nearly growled. Mayu winced and lowered her eyes to the tree branch she was standing on. He still sounded very much upset with her. Her attention was diverted because Gaara began to grunt really loud. His sound armor began to crack.

"You are strong…" he began still holding his head. "You are called Uchiha. You have friends. You have goals. You are similar to me. By killing you, I can exist in this world as the one who erased your existence! I will be able to feel alive! Don't forget… You are my-" His speech was cut off because he groaned in pain again. Concerned, Mayu went over to him. "You're… my…" His appendage deformed and grew at alarming rates. Sweat slid down Sasuke's face.

"Mayu! Get away from him!" he shouted. However, it was too late. The arm had struck Mayu, sending her over the edge of the branch. Swiftly, Sasuke jumped down and caught her before she made a nasty impact with the ground. Above him, he heard Gaara screaming out, but he ignored it. Mayu hadn't opened her eyes. He shook her a bit, setting her down on a tree branch. "Mayu…! Mayu!" Slowly, her lids fluttered open, revealing blue Hyuga eyes. She frowned.

"But, mommy! I don't want to go to school today!" Her words were slurred, but that isn't what had Sasuke nearly paralyzed. Mayu had latched onto him, rubbing her face against his shirt. "I want to stay home and make _cookies_ with _you_!" Almost frantically, the young Uchiha tried prying her off him.

"_Oi, oi_…! Snap out of it! Get off!" Finally, he smacked her hard across the face.

"OUCH, YOU FREAK!" Mayu held her right cheek, glaring at him. Sasuke, though, sighed in relief. "I can't believe you _smacked_ me!"

"Forget about that!" Sasuke sharply turned his head away, flushing.

"Sasuke, watch out!" Following her warning, he moved just in time. Gaara's demonic arm had just struck the place where the two once stood. "That was too close!" The girl finally stood. "He's out of control now. I don't think anyone could calm him down at this point. You're going to have to fight him until Naruto shows up."

"I don't need _Naruto_!"

"I didn't mean it like that, bird brain. I'm just saying that more people need to be involved to defeat Gaara-kun—a team," Mayu rolled her eyes. "Trust me, no one would want to tangle with a berserk person with a demon inside of them."

"Yeah, but-"

"Are you scared of me? Gaara finally got annoyed with being ignored. Mayu narrowed her eyes, watching the red head frantically look around for his prey.

"I… don't think he recognizes me anymore," she murmured. "Sasuke… It's clear that I'm not as strong as you or Naruto when it comes to ninja battles." Mayu turned her eyes down. "This may be the last time you see me." Sasuke furrowed his eyebrows, yet said nothing. The girl glared at him. "You're _supposed_ to say 'No, of course not, Mayu! You're just as strong! We'll survive together!' not just stand there, looking like an idiot!"

"Quit trying to sound like me," Sasuke calmly replied. His dark eyes shifted to Gaara. "Most of that stuff was true, anyway. You're not as strong as me right now, so… I'll protect you." For a few moments, Mayu only stared at the young Uchiha. He had… definitely changed. She found herself smiling.

"Okay," she agreed. Sasuke turned questioning eyes to her. "Then, by all means, figure out a way to protect me."

"What do you mean _figure out_?" Sasuke's question was met by Mayu forcing chakra out of her feet and jumping towards where Gaara was. The young Uchiha produced a flat look. "Mayu, you idiot!" He was unaware that a smirk crossed his face as he followed after the said idiot.


	6. Chapter 6

Before Mayu could get very far, Sasuke yanked on the back of her shirt. He came to a stop, holding her mid air. "Mayu, don't be stupid," he told her. "I'll handle Gaara." The girl poked her bottom lip out, pouting. The young Uchiha set her down on the same branch. "You try that again and I will knock you unconscious." He had the nerve to point a finger. "Stay _here_. You hear me? _Stay_ here."

"_Um_… Last time I checked, I was older than you. Don't talk to me like that," Mayu retorted. Sasuke gave her the look. "How the hell can you even accomplish that?" He merely rolled his eyes, and then took off towards the sounds of destruction. Mayu crossed her arms with a huff. _"If he thinks I'm going to stay here then he has another thing coming!"_ she thought. Still… There weren't many things she could do in this situation. She sat down and closed her eyes, ignoring the battle roars and cries she heard from above.

It wasn't like Gaara was an enemy in her mind. If that had been the case, Mayu would have been more than happy to assist Sasuke. However, Gaara was her friend. Most likely, he would not understand her intentions and label her as a traitor like that damn Yashamaru. A frown crossed her features. The thought of Gaara's uncle made her want to punch something. "If I remember correctly, Naruto and Sakura _should_ be on their way," Mayu muttered. "So I'm not really worried about Sasuke, especially since he's gotten faster." Finally, her eyes opened. Panting entered her ears. She turned her head. Sitting at the base of the tree branch was Uchiha Sasuke. He was hunched over, looking as though he had run two marathons. "_Ah_, back so soon?" she questioned.

His dark eyes looked up at her. "Shut up," he panted. "He's stronger than I realized."

"What part of _demon_ don't you understand?" Mayu ignored the inappropriate hand gesture from Sasuke. She strained her ear. Basically, the red head was in the middle of taunting Sasuke. "Your fighting tactics don't seem to be working." There was no response from the young Uchiha. Mayu turned her eyes towards him again. He had stopped panting by now, but there was a frown on his face. Apparently the taunting was getting to him. Mayu narrowed her eyes. She could assume what he was thinking about right now. The girl crawled over to his still form. Her hand touched his cheek. His head snapped up, eyes staring at her in surprise. His lips parted as if he was about to say something. "You wouldn't be thinking of someone else during this battle, would you?" she asked. "I mean… unless it's me, of course. Since you said you would protect _me_." Sasuke's lips pressed together in a thin line. He then turned his head away from her, breaking contact.

"You don't know what you're talking about," he said. Mayu narrowed her eyes again, and then grabbed his chin, forcing him to look her in the eye. "Ma-Mayu…!"

"Oh, I don't…?" she inquired. She searched his eyes. He seemed to be seriously contemplating her question. Finally, he mumbled an apology. "Sasuke, I don't go into battle thinking of the man I want dead, and you shouldn't either." Mayu released his chin. What she was doing was wrong. Using Sasuke's vengeance in her favor—surely it was a horrible thing to do. Basically she was being manipulative. In all honesty, she was not an avenger like him, but he was making him believe that she was._ "Even if it's based on a little white lie… I want Sasuke and me to have this bond," _she thought. _"Maybe… he'll stay if there are more people he has a bond with." _Mayu stood up, hands on her hips. Sasuke watched her movement, raising a brow. "Now, move your ass and do your job. Got it?" She smirked. "If we die here, we won't ever fight properly, you know."

"I got it," he gave a smirk of his own. Sasuke stood up as well. "I'd say wish me luck, but we both know I don't need it."

"_The hell you don't!"_ Mayu thought with a fake grin. _"Gaara-kun's got a demon and all you've got is an advanced bloodline!" _She didn't say that out loud in fear of getting hit. Also, he would probably be all depressed on her. She did not want that to happen because she would be the one to have to sit there and take his whining. "Still, be careful, Sasuke," she told him. "Gaara-kun's precious to me, but you are my friend, too." Sasuke stared at her for a full minute before nodding his head. Mayu's eyebrows furrowed as he disappeared from her sight. _"What the hell was that…? Why did he look at me for that long?"_

She shook her head to rid herself of those thoughts. Now wasn't the time. Mayu turned eyes blue Hyuga eyes upward. Sasuke and Gaara were going at it, fighting for victory. She had to get closer. Nodding herself, Mayu jumped up, making sure to go a little ways off from the battle. Speaking of which, things had gotten way intense after that little pep talk she had given Sasuke. Mayu finally found a safe spot to watch. It was far enough away, but it was close enough to interfere when necessarily. The Uchiha seemed to be winning. He had pulled out his ultimate attack, the Chidori. The attack went right through Gaara's demonic arm. The red head screamed, clearly in pain. "It worked?" Mayu took off towards the two.

Canon wise, Sasuke had been losing to Gaara. That is when Naruto and Sakura would come in and ultimately save him. However, now, Sasuke seemed to hold his own. He had wounded Gaara again as if his energy had been restored. This was where her plan came into play. Before, Gaara had become highly upset when Sakura stepped in the way of him and Sasuke, ready to risk it all for him. She would just have to do the same thing. No one would be gravely injured today if she had anything to do about it.

Sasuke smirked, slowly moving towards his screaming opponent. He could perform the Chidori once more to kill him. His body was exhausting fast, though. It would be in his best interest if he didn't do that. An explosive note would probably take care of him. "_Oi_, Gaara… What was that about my hatred being too weak?" he asked in a mocking manner. His light green eyes glared at him. "Sorry to tell you this, but… Hatred's got nothing to do with our fight." He reared his fist back. "Strength from hatred isn't everything!" He launched it forward, intending to send Gaara over the edge of the branch. However, _she_ had suddenly stood in the way. Reacting quickly, his fist uncurled, but the momentum still made him move forward.

Two pairs of eyes widen, realizing the result of her interference. Mayu's body tense and trembled, unable to react as quick as it should have. Her eye twitched several times. The two stood there, frozen for the most part. Sasuke couldn't believe it. Swallowing hard, Mayu finally took a step back. Cheeks flushed, she cleared her throat. Sasuke coughed a bit and backed up. He averted his eyes. "It… It was an accident," he muttered.

"Of… Of course it was!" Mayu replied quickly. Her arms crossed over her chest. She squeezed her eyes shut. Sasuke had just groped her, not intentionally, but it still felt weird. Mayu cleared her throat again. Sasuke did the same.

"_They… managed to make this awkward,"_ Temari's lip twitched. _"I really don't like them."_

"Anyway! Why did you come between us?" Sasuke finally composed himself. "What if I had used the Chidori?"

"I don't care! Like I said before… I love Gaara-kun!" Although she said this, she had a somewhat differing look on her face. It was as if she wanted him to… follow along? Behind her, Gaara could only stare at the girl's back in shock.

"Girl!" he shouted. Mayu turned to him, dropping down to her knees. To his astonishment, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him close. Of course, his body reacted in a negative manner. He thrashed, but she kept her firm grip on him.

"Why do you need to prove your existence…?" she questioned. His struggles stopped. "_Why_?" Her shout confused the hell out of all spectators. "You don't have to prove your existence anymore… You hear me?" She reared back, showing her tear-filled eyes. "Because I see you… I _see_ you, Gaara-kun! I _know_ you're there." He began to speak, telling her about his demon. He had asked why she hadn't hated him like everyone else. "I can't… No matter what… I can't… its people like you who don't need hate the most." Her hands slipped from his shoulders, and then reached up to cup his cheeks. "I acknowledge your existence, so please stop this." She leaned forward and kissed the kanji on the left side of his forehead. Gaara actually gasped, feeling warm lips press against his skin.

No one had ever… His eyes closed, thinking back to his miserable past. Slowly, his demonic armor dissolved back into sand, returning to his gourd and revealing his bloody arm. It hurt so much, but not as much as the pain in his chest. It felt like his heart was being crushed. It had been hard to breathe. This girl—what was she doing to him? She whispered his name, and then embraced him again. "Ma… Mayu-san…" He still didn't understand it—this strange feeling. However, this girl, Mayu, she didn't hate him. She was willing to look past his monster and see only him.

Finally, she pulled away. Her eyes gave him a once over. "Let's take care of your arm," she said. Mayu stood up and turned to Sasuke. She held out her hand. "Give me some bandages."

"What?"

"You heard me!"

"He's still the enemy!"

"Not _my_ enemy! I'm not from the Leaf village, remember?"

Sasuke grumbled a few choice words, but he supposed she had a point. He glanced behind Mayu. Gaara didn't seem like a threat anymore, anyway. He briefly closed his eyes as he moved his hand into his weapon's pouch. Mayu sure had a way with words. Calming Gaara down like that… Actually, she had calmed Sasuke down, too. "Here," he begrudgingly held out what she requested. Then, he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. Sharply, he looked up. A total of three kunai were thrown, and they headed right for Mayu. "Move!" Before his mind told it to, his body tackled Mayu. Both barely dodged the deadly weapons. They crashed into Gaara and were sent over the edge.

"Sasuke-kun!"

"Sasuke!" Naruto's yell was right in his ear.

"Mayu-san," Hinata murmured. The Hyuga leapt from her hiding spot, going for the falling four. She had seen it all, yet she did not react fast enough to stop Haruno Sakura from throwing those kunai. They were free falling because they hadn't been close enough to other branches. Using her chakra, she shot down like a bullet. Seeing her, Mayu reached out, and then disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Seconds later, Hinata felt the girl's presence within her. Because of this, she could use the full combination of their abilities. Hinata grabbed onto both Naruto and Gaara, flinging them up towards a branch. She then flipped her body several times. Her feet slid against the back of a tree before coming to a stop. She breathed a sigh of relief.

**Good job, Hinata.**

"Yes," the girl replied. Her eyes shifted to the three boys, and then she ran back up. She landed near Naruto. "Na-Naruto-kun? Are you okay?" She knelt down beside him. After getting over his shock at seeing her, the blond ninja nodded his head. Hinata glanced in Gaara's direction. His eyes were closed and he did not move. She activated her bloodline. _"Unconscious,"_ she told her sudden alter ego. _"Unconscious, but alive."_ A sigh of relief could be heard only by her.

"Sakura! What's wrong with you?" Sasuke shouted, standing. The pink-haired kunoichi winced, squeezing her eyes shut.

"But, Sasuke-kun… I thought she was the enemy!" She opened her eyes again, looking quite worried. Her green eyes moved to and fro, trying to locate her.

"Did you even get a good look before you attacked?"

"Not… Not really," Sakura admitted, looking quite ashamed.

"Okay… _What's_ going on?" Naruto asked. "Sakura-chan might not have seen her, but _I_ did. It was Hinata's weird clone!" The Hyuga tensed, wearing a grimace.

"Hinata's weird clone…?" Sakura repeated. Her eyes turned to the Hyuga heiress. "Come to think of it, that girl did have dark skin just like the clone you used against Neji." The pale-eyed kunoichi took several steps back. Sweat slid down her face as a pinkish hue settled on her cheeks. "Hinata, why is your clone so different? Why are you protecting the enemy?" Again, Hinata stumbled back. Sasuke placed hands on her shoulder, causing her to look back at him. "Sasuke-kun…?"

"Sasuke…! You know what's going on, don't you? Don't lie!" Naruto pointed a finger. "All this time—you've been keeping something from us, haven't you?" The Uchiha closed his eyes.

"Sasuke-kun…?"

"That's enough," Hinata spoke. She stepped forward. Sakura's eyes narrowed. The fragile and timid look on her fellow kunoichi's face had vanished. In its place was a serious expression she had only once seen before. In her match against Hyuga Neji was the first time she had seen it. "I suppose it's time for you to know since you're both involved in some way."

"Wait a minute," Sasuke said. "Are you sure this is okay?"

"No, but all these questions are bugging the hell outta me," she answered.

"Hinata…?" Startled, Sakura gasped at the change in the girl's choice of words.

"My name is not Hinata," she replied. Then her hands came together, forming the signs for the Clone Jutsu. With a puff of smoke, the unusual clone appeared by Hinata's side. "My name is Ishikari Mayu," the clone said. "And for nearly more than a month, I went by the name of-" She pointed at the pink-haired girl. "-Haruno Sakura."

"What?" The two ignorant ones shouted in unison.

"Not now. There is a more important matter to resolve." Blue Hyuga eyes settled on the shinobi from the Sand village. "Since _someone_ made me drop the bandages I had before, does anyone have anymore? If you do, please cough it up because if you don't I will go berserk on all of you." Hinata hastily reached for said item, only to realize she wasn't carrying any medical supplies. Mayu narrowed her eyes, causing the Hyuga to gulp.

"Calm down," Sasuke forced himself not to roll his eyes. "I have more."

"Oh, good… Going apeshit on you guys would not have looked good." Ignoring the incredulous stares from Naruto and Sakura, Mayu took the rolled bandages from the Uchiha. She then moved over to Gaara. With a bit of help from Hinata, she dressed the red head's injury in no time. "Now that that's settled…" She turned her eyes as if searching for something. "_Ah_, there you are—Temari! Temari, come pick your brother up!"

"WHAT?" Sasuke rolled his eyes. Mayu definitely had a way with shocking people, too. Even the Sand kunoichi had exclaimed in surprise. A few moments later, she landed on the branch with them. "You're… You're letting us go?"

"You're letting them go?" Sakura asked in a more demanding tone. "They're the enemy!"

"Yes, well… Not my enemies. My word, didn't I just say that?" Mayu lifted Gaara, and then handed him over to his older sister. "If you come back, we'll be forced to take care of you, though. You should probably just leave." The blond kunoichi stared her for a time.

"You… Do you really love him? Even after knowing the terrible beast overwhelms him?" she asked.

"Gaara-kun _isn't_ the terrible beast you speak of," Mayu answered. "And it would be in your best interest to stop thinking of him as the beast, and start thinking of him as its jailor… Gaara-kun needs the love of his family, so stop being afraid of him." Temari swallowed hard, and then narrowed her eyes. "Oh, and your other brother probably needs to stop hating on Gaara-kun, too." The kunoichi seemed to glare at her before taking off.

"I can't believe this! Why would you let them go?" Sakura asked. Mayu turned to her.

"Sometimes… violence isn't the answer." She put on a thoughtful look. "_Sometimes,_" she emphasized. Sasuke frowned and released a sigh. All's well that ends well, he thought.

"Will someone please tell me what _the heck's going on_!" Naruto shouted.

0-0

This chapter was **_extremely_** hard to revise.


	7. Chapter 7

With confidence he could say, without a doubt, that he hated Mayu's guts. This was _all_ her fault. _She_ had been the one to decide to reveal herself to people who didn't need to know about it. _She_ is the one who said she would explain it all to Naruto and Sakura. _She_ is the one who allowed the enemy to escape. And yet… And yet… _"_I'm_ the one who suffers!" _Uchiha Sasuke wanted to break something. His dark eyes glowered down at the table. He was forced to wait until his ears began bleeding. He wanted to hurt Mayu so bad right now.

Explaining had been relatively easy. By the time the five of them returned to the village, things were pretty much clear to them. Even Naruto had understood what was going on. However, Sakura had not deemed the matter as trivial and decide to move on. No, she had seemed determined to tell someone else. _People of high authority should know about this_, she had said. Come to think of it, she was probably a bit angry that Sasuke had lied to her. When it was clear that Mayu had left her body, Sasuke had told her that Sakura had hit her head on the bridge and lost a lot of her memories of the establishment of Team 7. She had believed him without hesitance. But now that the truth had been revealed to her, she had been less willing to accept it.

Mayu had come up with this brilliant plan to keep Sakura's mouth shut. And so four days after the Third Hokage's funeral, Uchiha Sasuke found himself sitting across from Haruno Sakura… on a _date_. He was definitely going to get Mayu back for this. "So what about you, Sasuke-kun?" Oh, oh damn. She had just asked him a question, didn't she? His eyes slowly returned to her form. Sakura blushed in response and looked down at her, not even, half eaten meal. Mayu would have destroyed it as soon as it was placed in front of her. Rolling his eyes, and deciding to plot that girl's demise later, he asked his teammate to repeat herself. "I-I said… I asked about your ho-hobbies." This was so annoying. She had been like this for about a half an hour.

"I don't _have_ any," Sasuke roughly replied. Sakura's shoulders hunched over as she muttered an 'oh.' The Uchiha stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked to the side, out of the window. He was surprised to see a familiar glare being directed at him. Next to the person, whom he hated at the moment, was a blushing Hinata. Mayu had apparently dragged her out as well. Sasuke's lip twitched, trying to keep his snarl down. He remembered Mayu's words quite clearly. _Don't brush her aside_, she had said. _This might be the love of your life_! He _highly_ doubted Sakura was the one. He could barely stand being on the same team as her. Then again, he could barely stand being near anyone. With a internal sigh, Sasuke spoke. "Sakura." Her head snapped up. "Why did you become a ninja?" There—something simple.

"Why did I become a ninja…?" she repeated. Sasuke blinked, waiting for her answer. "Well, I guess everyone else was doing it… so I followed suit."

"Really? _That's_ your reason? What an idiotic reason."

Sakura looked absolutely devastated by his comment. She squeezed her eyes shut, and then lowered her head. Suddenly, he felt an impact at his temple. Yelping, he grabbed his injured head, glaring out the window. Mayu was giving him a look, which seemed to scream vulgar insults. Narrowing his eyes, he turned his attention back to Sakura. Her shoulders trembled. "I mean…" He forced himself not to roll his eyes. "I mean, you shouldn't do things just because other people are doing it. I meant that you should follow your own path.

"Oh… Well, I guess you're right, Sasuke-kun." A relieved smile crossed her face. "But since I'm a ninja, I got the chance to be with you."

"Why do you even like me?"

"Eh?"

"Why… do you… like me?" Sasuke asked again. "I won't lie. I'm purposely rude to you. In fact, everyone I come into contact with I can be rude. Why? Because I stopped caring. I don't care what others think of me, so I act the way I want to. There is no caring personality underneath it all. What you see is what you get. I'm not hiding anything." His eyes narrowed. "So, again, I ask you, why do you like me?"

"…" Sakura seemed hesitant on answering. "Well… Because you're Uchiha Sasuke! You're-"

"So you like my _name_, not me?"

"No! That's not it!"

"Sakura, you're a smart girl. Someone like you should see me and hate me for the way I treat others. Why do you like me?"

"I…" She seemed at a loss for words. Once again, her eyes squeezed shut. Then she finally blurted out. "Why does love _need an explanation_?" Stunned, Sasuke only expanded his eyes. This was the first—no, second time Sakura had raised her voice towards him. The first time had been in the Forest of Death when he had just about given up. "Love is… It can't be explained. It's not about being smart! It's not about the background or the way the other person behaves! It's a feeling that won't go away. It's a feeling that is euphoric, a feeling that hurts, and it's a feeling that can make you crazy!" At last, her eyes snapped up to his. "Sasuke-kun… _Don't_ undermine my feelings for you just because you don't think they make sense!"

For a moment, Sasuke only sat there, watching his teammate. She seemed way too passionate about the topic of love. He narrowed his eyes. She was foolish. Sakura didn't know what she was talking about. Sasuke stood up, removing his hands from his pockets. "You're delusional," he told her. She gasped. "I know the real reason why you like me." He placed his hands on the table, leaning forward. "And it's the same reason why you decided to become a ninja." Her eyes grew wide as she stared at him with disbelief. "It's because of everyone, right?" Sakura didn't reply. Sasuke stood up straight, and then walked away, intending to leave. However, he stopped. Sasuke didn't look at her for his last comment. "Sakura, instead of focusing on something as fleeting as love, how about you focus on training and bettering yourself as a kunoichi? Otherwise, don't waste my time." After those words of wisdom, he continued on his way.

"Sasuke-kun…!" He heard Sakura's chair scooting back. She had stood. "You'll regret saying that! One day, you'll find yourself in love, too! And when you can't find any logical reason why, you'll regret what you said!" She continued speaking, but he had stopped listening. He had better things to do than listen to raging female. Speaking of which, Mayu met him outside. He mentally sighed, just about dodging the girl's leg.

"What the hell was _that_?" she asked hotly once she returned to her stance. "What part of _potential baby maker_ don't you understand? Sakura even got pretty with makeup for you!"

"And what part of _not_ thinking about that right now don't you understand?" Sasuke retorted. "Besides, you also said love of my life, and Sakura—it ain't her!" Mayu frowned, and then crossed her eyes.

"You don't know that."

"Why do you even care?"

"Don't know. I just like torturing you like this."

Before Sasuke could unleash his fist upon the girl's head, Hinata stood beside her. "Mayu-san, it's getting late. Perhaps we should return home?" she suggested. She smiled, made Mayu bow her head, and then turned, guiding her guest away, all before she could protest. Sasuke watched them go until Mayu disappeared from Hinata's side. He released a heavy sigh.

He still hated her guts.

0-0

Mayu walked quietly on top of a building when her head bowed. Hinata had ultimately ditched her for Uzumaki Naruto today, so she had nothing better to do than to wander around. _"I remember this place," _she thought. _"This is where Naruto, Sasuke, and I were first introduced to Kakashi-sensei." _The girl looked up at the sky. _"I wonder what would have happened if I didn't go back that day on the bridge. I probably would have gone through the Forest of Death and those snakes!"_ Suddenly, Mayu heard the sound of metal hitting dirt making her look back down.

"Damn it…" a voice made her look over by the edge.

"_Sasuke… what's he doing up here?"_ It had been two days since that whole fiasco with the Sasuke and Sakura date. The Uchiha hadn't spoken a word to her since. He had probably been avoiding her on purpose. Mentally scoffing, Mayu quietly made her way over to him. She grinned as she crouched down. Her intent was to pounce on the unsuspecting shinobi._ "Ready… set… go-" _However, before she could carry out her diabolical plan, his voice interrupted.

"If you do that, I will hurt you so bad that you won't be Hinata's unusual twin anymore!" Sasuke nearly growled, causing the girl stop. Mayu pouted and trudged her body over to him. She plopped down at his side.

"Gosh, you're no fun."

"And yet you keep coming back…"

"So what are you doing up here and why are you throwing kunai?"

"Regressed memories," he muttered as he lied down with his arms acting as a cushion.

"Regressed…? You don't mean repressed, do you?" Mayu asked. He only glared at her, and then rolled his eyes.

"Where's Hinata?" he asked.

"Oh, she's meeting Naruto at that Ramen place he loves so much," she answered. "And after that, they're going to train with each other. I think their relationship is coming along nicely! Ah, such development in the NaruHina plot!"

"I don't even want to know what the hell that is," Sasuke remarked, turning his eyes to the sky again.

"… Want to hear some of my repressed memories?" Mayu suddenly asked.

"Not really... but you're just going to tell me anyway, so go ahead," Sasuke sighed.

"Oh, Sasuke! You know me well!" Mayu exclaimed. The Uchiha shook his head. "Anyway, they're not really repressed memories... Actually, I don't think they're _my_ memories at all." She took a deep breath before continuing. "When I returned to my real body, I started having these dreams—nightmares—and they're always the same." She frowned as she recalled the dream. It had been bad. Once, she had even woken up screaming. "The weird thing about it is... Itachi was there."

Sasuke sat up abruptly and looked at Mayu with a surprised expression. "How do you know what Itachi looks like?" he demanded to know.

"_Uh_... you... told me?" she answered nervously.

"I don't remember telling you that."

"_Ha ha ha!_" Her laugh was suspicious. "That's why you're the _bird brain_ of this operation!"

_"She's hiding something,"_ Sasuke thought, narrowing his eyes at her.

"Well, anyway... back to what I was saying!" Fortunately, the Uchiha was curious since she had mentioned his older brother, and so he did not try to protest when she changed the subject. "In this dream, I'm looking through the eyes of a child… Also, I don't hear anything, but I know that a woman is holding me and she's crying." Mayu sighed. "The dream's short, so I still don't know why she was crying. That's when your brother comes into the room. Suddenly, he snatches me away, ignoring the kunai that the woman has. I felt her blood sliding down my face. I guess he had attack her or something. Finally, I'm able to hear again. There's a lot of screaming going on, but not in the room where we are. It's hot, too. I see the woman's lips moving, and I could feel Itachi speaking, but I hear what they were saying. It was so weird." Blue Hyuga eyes looked up at the slowly moving clouds. "Then a bright light came out of nowhere, and I woke up."

"You're losing it," Sasuke suggested making Mayu glare at the Uchiha. "You don't really live in the Leaf, so it must have been just a dream."

"Yeah, maybe you're right about that," she said. The girl blinked, something catching her eye. "Hey, look!" Mayu pointed up, causing Sasuke look. "It's your long lost cousin!" The young Uchiha produced a scandalized look. Mayu had just pointed out a bird. He was getting sick of her jokes about his hair.

"You—Kakashi...? What does he want?" Sasuke said, standing.

_"Uh... I'm going to pretend that I know what he's talking about,"_ Mayu thought as she also stood. "Well, let's go find out!" she said out loud.

"Whatever..." Sasuke said, allowing the girl to drag him off somewhere. That's when it hit him. "Wait a minute! You don't even know where to go!"

The two walked around for a few minutes until they located the copy ninja outside a café. Mayu enthusiastically greeted her former sensei. Sasuke chose to remain impassive. "Kakashi, it's unusual for you to be here first," he commented.

"I do it from time to time," Kakashi replying, not looking at Sasuke or Mayu. "I see you brought her along."

"_Hn_… she _followed_ me," Sasuke said.

"Nobody followed you!" Mayu retorted. "Weren't you the one that wanted my help because you got lost?"

"Shut up!" he yelled at the girl. His eyes glanced into the restaurant. One table had been empty of occupants, but there was still tea—two cups. "I don't like natto and sweets."

"Oh, really…" Kakashi murmured.

"You're _so_ ungrateful, Sasuke!" Mayu muttered, but the young Uchiha chose to ignore her.

"Mayu…" The jounin's voice caused the girl to turn to him. "I wasn't really expecting you as well."

"Hey, if it's free food… I'm so there!" Mayu said with a clap of her hands. "Are we going to eat or what? I'll take dumplings!" Sasuke bopped her on the head. "_OW_! What the heck was that for?"

"Moron…" Sasuke only folded his arms.

"_These two…"_ Kakashi thought, smiling slightly under his mask.

0-0

"Huh…? This is weird," Naruto said, searching his pockets.

"Sorry, but if you don't have a pass, then you don't get any ramen," the owner said.

"W-Wait, I know I had another one! Man, was the one I gave Konohamaru the last one? I could have sworn I had two more left!"

"_Um_… Hello," a voice greeted, causing the blond to stop his search. He turned and saw Hinata standing there. Her unusual habit of poking her fingers together hadn't been dropped he noticed. "I-I hope I d-didn't keep you waiting l-long, Naruto-kun," she said.

"No, of course you didn't!" he replied. "I just got here, too!" Hinata sat down on one of the stools and waited for Naruto to do the same, but he was still looking for the passes.

"What's wrong, Naruto-kun?" she asked.

"I'm just looking for our pass, that's all."

Naruto suddenly got fed up and started taking off his clothes in search of the two passes. Hinata's eyes widen as her face turned red. Her crush had just boldly removed his pants. He hadn't even attempted to hide. "_Ah_!" Hinata screamed just before fainting.

"Uh… what just happened?" Naruto asked himself. The owner turned around because of Hinata's scream and his eyes widen as well.

"PUT YOUR CLOTHES BACK ON!" he yelled.

0-0

_"I wonder why we're here," _Mayu thought, following Sasuke down some stairs. _"I wasn't really paying attention when we were eating…"_ The two were walking into darkness it seemed. It was a good thing that Sasuke held fire to light the path. Otherwise, she would have tripped over something she couldn't see. That would have been embarrassing. _"I didn't think Sasuke still lived here. It must be the basement of the Uchiha estate… Did they even have basements in this time period…? Actually, I don't even know what time period this is…"_ The stairs ended and now the two were in a small room. On the wall there was the Uchiha's family crest. "Sasuke… what are we…?" Mayu began, but Sasuke interrupted her.

"Hold this and follow me," he said.

"Yes master," her voice dripped sarcasm. "I am your _humble_ servant." She took the torch from him, while rolling her eyes. The girl followed Sasuke to a small table at the end of the room. On the table was something that looked like a manuscript. "There's nothing on it," Mayu sighed. "Why are we here again?"

"I… can read it," Sasuke said, not taking his eyes from the manuscript.

"But there's nothing there!" Mayu stated, putting the flame closer. "Not one drop of ink!"

"Believe me, Mayu, something's there. You can only see it if you have the Sharingan eyes," Sasuke explained.

"_Ooooooh_! So it's like a family secret then?" She really didn't care. However, out of nowhere, Sasuke looked really angry. His hands were clenched at his sides. His eyes glared down at the paper. "Hey, what's wrong with you?" No replied came from his mouth. "_Oi_…! I know you hear me! Answer!"

0-0

"_Um_… Sorry about that, Hinata-chan," Naruto said as the hot bowls were placed in front of the two.

"It's okay…" Hinata said, picking up her chopsticks.

"Jeez, you're such a troublemaker," the owner said. "You're lucky that you have this nice girl as a friend."

"Well, I… forgot I put our passes behind my forehead protector so I wouldn't drop it during my morning training," Naruto said.

"Oh, so you're training after you eat?" the owner asked.

"Yup, right after breakfast me and Hinata-chan are gonna train," Naruto answered, and then slurped up his noodles.

"Is that so…?" the owner said. "Don't be too hard on him, Hinata-san."

"I won't," Hinata said smiling lightly.

"Hey!"

"Here," the owner placed some more noodles in their bowls. They both looked up in confusion. "Extra… Free of charge! Work hard you two!"

"Thank you, old man!" Naruto exclaimed and then proceeded to eat the free ramen; Hinata nodded and began eating her extra food.

"Welcome!" the owner suddenly said, causing Hinata to look towards the entrance. There was a man with long white hair, red lines going down his face. He walked right behind Naruto before speaking. Hinata had seen him a couple times before.

"I came here as I was told…" he said, making Naruto turn to face him with noodles hanging from his mouth. He blinked in surprised. "I see you _do_ eat a lot of ramen."

"_I wonder what he wants with Naruto-kun…"_ Hinata thought.

"PERVERTED HERMIT?" Naruto shouted with his mouth full.

Jiraiya blinked and then looked towards Hinata. Hinata felt slightly uncomfortable under his gaze. "Hey! Stop staring at Hinata-chan like she's a piece of meat!" Naruto yelled after swallowing his ramen.

"Sorry, sorry… I just couldn't help thinking what's a pretty girl like this doing with someone like you," Jiraiya said, causing Hinata to blush slightly.

"What do ya want?" Naruto asked annoyed.

"How does going on a research trip with me sound?" Jiraiya asked.

"Research trip…?" Naruto said. Hinata bowed her head, her bangs covered her eyes.

"_If Naruto-kun accepts this then… he'll be gone for a long time_…" she thought.

"Do I _have_ to?" Naruto asked.

"Yes, actually, you do," Jiraiya said with a laugh.

0-0

Mayu sighed for the fifth time that day. _"I don't know why I hang out with this guy," _she thought, feeling annoyed. She sat on a tree branch, watching Sasuke pant like a hot dog for the 100th time that day. _"Maybe I should tell him Naruto is gone…"_ she thought. She sighed again. _"Wonder what his reaction might be."_ When Mayu had gone into town to get a snack she had run into Hinata. The Hyuga girl was practically in tears when she told Mayu that Naruto was leaving. _"Poor Hinata..."_ She then focused on Sasuke again. Who knew how many times he had attacked that defenseless boulder? Mayu shook her head._ "Poor rock..."_ She continued to stare at the almost exhausted Uchiha. He was grumbling to himself about something she didn't hear. For a moment, her eyes closed. All this anger he had couldn't be good, right? _"Maybe I should try to calm him down."_ Mayu jumped down from the tree branch and walked over to the ninja. "Hey, Sasuke..." she said tapping his back lightly. In response, he sharply turned to face her. Mayu nearly jumped at the sight of him. "If I didn't know you had the Sharingan, I could swear that you were a vampire."

"What do you _want_?" Sasuke asked harshly. "Can't you see I'm training?"

"What type of good training is using your strongest attack on something that can't defend itself?" Mayu raised a brow. Sasuke looked at the hole-stricken boulder and sighed. "You want to train? Spar with me." The brat actually scoffed at her suggestion.

"I don't think so. You'd only get hurt."

"Thinking like that, you're the one that's going to get hurt." Mayu crossed her eyes. "Do you think me and Hinata have been playing around since the Sound and Sand invasion ended?" It was her turn to scoff. "Who do you think you're _talking_ to? _Huh_?"

"I didn't mean it that way."

"Then what did you mean?"

Instead of answering, Sasuke became silent. Honestly, he didn't know what he meant. It had just come from his mouth. Mayu was strong. Not just physically either. He should have known better than to imply that she was weaker than she was. He should have known better to assume she didn't try her hardest become stronger even when she didn't need to. Sasuke closed his eyes, turning off his advanced bloodline. "Forget it," he said. "Let's just… go back to town." The ninja walked away before waiting for a response.

Mayu's watched him go, body twitching all over. What was up with that cool smartass way of ignoring the subject? Raging, she dashed forward. "Hey, Sasuke!" He looked at her. Since his eyes were on her, he didn't see her leg sticking in front of his way. "Tripped you!" Her sudden shout combined with her leg made the Uchiha lose his balance and fall over, flat on his face. He was not too happy about that, but Mayu only blew a raspberry and took off running.

"I'm gonna kill you!" Sasuke yelled, hopping up.

"You should feel lucky that that's all I did!" Her pace increased once she realized that he was running after her. Still, he was closing in on her. "_Better pick up my speed_!" she thought, and then went slightly faster.

The young Uchiha smirked, realizing that she had increased her speed. Did she really think she could out run him? His eyes darted to and fro, trying to come up with a path that would intercept hers. Then he noticed. The two were near a running river. _"This place seems familiar… Where have I seen it before?"_ Almost immediately, it came back to him. "A waterfall…!" he murmured. "Mayu, stop!" Sasuke called to her. She didn't heed his warning.

"Oh _no_! I'm not going to let you hit me! You're just mad because you can't touch this~!" Mayu taunted, making Sasuke frown.

"No, it's a giant waterfall! You're going to fall if you keep going!"

"Waterfall?" Mayu said softly. Her eyes suddenly expanded. She virtually screeched to a halt, causing dry dirt to appear behind her. When the dirt cleared, she saw that she was at the edge of the cliff. She breathed a heavy sigh, relieved that she didn't go over. "That was a close one, _eh_, Sasuke?" she asked, looking away from the high cliff. She blinked, noticing that Sasuke was trying very hard to stop as well. However, it didn't seem as though he was doing a very a good job. _"I guess he was going too fast," _Mayu thought. _"Wait a minute…! He's not stopping!"_

_**KAPOW!**_

Sasuke had collided into Mayu, knocking them both over the edge of the cliff. Now the two were falling. "Sasuke, you idiot, how come you didn't stop!" Mayu yelled, flapping her arms as if she were trying to fly.

"You should have stopped when I _told_ you!" he grumbled with his arms and legs crossed. He didn't seem as half as worried as Mayu was.

"Oh, sugahoneyicetea…!" she yelled.

"What?" Sasuke said right before they hit the water. After a few moments, he popped out of the water, gasping for air. He swam over to land and got out. He coughed out several times. Satisfied that he had coughed it all out, he moved to stand from his hands and knees. "You okay, Mayu?" he asked. There was no answer. Sasuke looked around. "Mayu…?" Still no answer and he didn't see her anywhere. "_Oh no_!" Without another thought, he jumped back into the lake. It took a moment, but he finally saw her. Sasuke quickly swam down._ "Damn it!"_ he thought, grabbing her. Quickly, he used his chakra to propel the two of them out of the water. Mayu didn't began screaming at him like she should. Alarmed, Sasuke slapped her cheek lightly. "Mayu... Mayu, wake up!" he said. The girl didn't move an inch. _"Crap, I'm going to have to give her CPR..."_ he thought. A pink tint settled on his cheeks. "But that means I have to..." He looked at her lips and swallowed hard. He started to push her chest area. _"I can at least get the water out of her lungs..."_ There was no way he was going to… Sasuke shook his head to rid himself of those thoughts.

Fortunately, his efforts of reviving Mayu were rewarded. However, Sasuke did not see the twitching of her finger. Growing worried, the ninja panted, and then looked in every direction. _"I have to,"_ he told himself. Slowly, he leaned forward. Suddenly, Mayu coughed, causing Sasuke to stop abruptly.

She spit out the water right in his face! Mayu turned over and started coughing to clear her throat of the rest of the water. Sasuke wiped the water from his face and hit her on the back. "Its m-my throat y-y-you d-dumba-ass!" she choked out.

"Well, sorry for trying to save your life!" Sasuke retorted. Mayu stopped coughing. Now, she only panted. She turned her eyes to him. The whites of her eyes were red. Finally, she gave a tiny smile. "What's with the look?"

"I'm sorry, I panicked. I can't swim," she said. "Thank you for saving my life…"

"Don't mention it," Sasuke mumbled. Mayu stood up and began to wring the water out of her hair. It didn't seem like she was going anywhere fast, though. "Can't even do that right?" Sasuke said with a sigh. He walked behind Mayu and put a hand on her shoulder. "Sit, let me do it," he said.

"I have it under control, bird brain!" Mayu said.

"No you don't!" Sasuke said, forcing her on her knees. "We'll be here all day waiting for you!" She grumbled something that was incoherent, but Sasuke chose to ignore it. Without another word, he began to wring the water out of Mayu's hair. She thought something was funny, and as a result started laughing. "What is your problem?"

"Sorry," she chuckled. "I was… just remembering… My mom used to do this when I was little." Abruptly, Sasuke stopped moving his fingers. "What's wrong?"

"… Nothing…" he said. "I'm finished, let's go."

"Hey, we're still wet!" Mayu stated, causing Sasuke to stop and look back at her.

"We should be dry by the time we reach town," he said. "And before we have lunch, we have to see Kakashi again."

"Fine…" Mayu muttered, catching up to Sasuke. She shook her entire body, trying to get the water off. Of course the Uchiha did not like the way she tried to removed the water. He even had called her a dog. "I prefer the animal… cat."

"Idiot."

0-0

"Kakashi…" Sasuke said, opening the door.

"You don't have to be rude, Sasuke!" Mayu said following him into the room. "You could have at least…" She stopped talking when she saw Kakashi lying on a bed. Mayu looked around the small room and saw that Gai, Kurenai, and Asuma were there.

"Why's Kakashi asleep?" Sasuke asked. "And why are Jounin gathered here?" No one answered his questions. "What happened…?" He looked towards Gai for answers.

"Nothing much happened," he answered. Suddenly, another shinobi comes into the room, yelling.

"Is it true that _the_ Itachi came back?" he asked.

"_Oh snap!"_ Mayu thought. _"Here comes the anger!"_ Gai glared at the newcomer and so did Mayu.

"_And_ he's after Naruto?" he asked. Gai smacked his forehead and groaned. Sasuke looked back at the Jounin and his face hardened into a glare.

"Idiot…" Mayu and Kurenai muttered in unison. Sasuke suddenly ran passed the Jounin and out of the door. "Damn it, Sasuke!" Mayu almost growled. "Just when I had calmed him down!" She was about to run after him, but Kurenai's voice stopped her.

"Hinata, why have you created that strange clone?" she asked. Mayu stood there, frozen in shock. Her eyes shifted nervously, trying to come up with something to say. Finally, she blurted out.

"I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S WRONG WITH MY JUTSU!"

And then she ran.

0-0

Mayu ran behind Sasuke. Jumping and hopping on buildings to keep up with him—it was tedious. If he would just slow down, she could explain to him what needed to be explained. She had called out to Sasuke a couple of times, but her voice was simply ignored. Finally, he reached Naruto's apartment. He pulled the door opened, causing Sakura to stumble out. "Sa-Sasuke-kun…?"

"Where's Naruto?" he demanded to know.

"I just got here, too."

"Hey, I know-" Mayu began. However, Sasuke took off again. The girl blinked and sighed heavily. "Stupid little bird…" she muttered, frowning. Sakura turned to her and asked what was going on. "Obviously he's looking for Naruto. I keep trying to tell him that I know, but he won't listen."

"Have you been with Sasuke-kun all day?" Sakura asked.

"Uh…"

"You have, haven't you?" Her voice was getting louder.

"I don't know! Gotta go!" Mayu ran away again, cursing her bad luck. She found Sasuke talking to the owner of the Ramen stand.

"Jiraiya-sama came here around noon. They had some ramen together, and then they said they were going somewhere."

"Sasuke, would you hold on for a minute?" I said, panting slightly. He looked at me, blinked, and then opened his mouth.

"You're still here?" he asked.

"_Why I oughta slug him!" _Mayu thought, glaring. "Listen to me already! Naruto and Jiraiya-sama already left the village. They're going on a trip! Hinata told me about it."

"Ah yes, she's right! They went to a lodging town not far from here," the old man said.

"Okay, but who's Jiraiya?" Sasuke asked.

"Jiraiya-sama, one of the Sanin!" the old man answered. "He just looks like a big, white-haired man, though."

"Big and white-haired…" Sasuke muttered. "Come on, Mayu!" he instructed and then ran.

"I guess I'm supposed to follow him like some sorta love-sick puppy," she muttered. After a few moments, she sighed heavily. "Coming, coming…" Soon, she caught up with the determined shinobi. It took awhile, but they finally made it to the lodging town. They went to work, searching every hotel that they could, looking for Naruto and his mentor. Finally, they found a place that was promising.

"… and a big, white-haired man staying here?" Sasuke asked the innkeeper.

"White-haired…?" the lady said.

"Is he here?" Sasuke asked… again.

"I may have seen one when I changed shifts," the woman said.

"_Man, I wish she would hurry!"_ Mayu thought, glancing at Sasuke's face. _"He's getting angry!"_

"Oh, a blond kid and a white-haired man," the woman exclaimed.

"Are they here? What room?" Sasuke asked.

"Let's see…" the woman looked in a book. "Second floor, end of the hall, room 1."

Sasuke dashed away before giving his thanks to the woman. Hastily, Mayu did it for him with a bow, and then followed after him. Instead of just waltzing in like he did numerous times before, Sasuke actually knocked. Talk about random bouts of courtesy. When the door finally opened, he looked as if he was going to die on the spot. "What's wrong…?" Mayu asked walking up to Sasuke. She peered into the room to see… a blond kid and a white-haired man. However, they were definitely not Naruto and Jiraiya. Hell, they probably weren't even ninja. "How disappointing, _ne_?"

"Damn it!" Sasuke cursed.


	8. Chapter 8

We were running... again! I don't see how Sasuke has this much energy! But I do know why he's so pumped up. _"Itachi is somewhere in this town," _I thought, glancing at Sasuke's back. He's probably glaring at anyone who would dare look at him right now. _"It's gonna be hell when we actually find him."_ But nonetheless I still follow Sasuke. I wonder why... I'm not usually this reckless. Oh, who am I kidding? I'm almost as reckless as Naruto! I guess it's because I can combine my skills with Hinata's. _"Great, now I'm turning into Sasuke!"_ Now, it's time to remember what episode is! Since Kakashi was already hurt and we're looking for Naruto now... that means—oh! This is the episode where they first showed Sasuke as a little boy! I had to suppress my laughter at the thought. _"He was soooo cute! Even I wanted to pinch his wittle cheeks!"_ I could no longer hold in my giggles. Suddenly, Sasuke stopped running causing me to slide to a stop... much like a baseball player would slide into home!

I hate it when Sasuke does that! I stood up and dusted the... dust from my capris and got ready to yell at him, I even had a glare in my arsenal. "What the-" I began but Sasuke interrupted me. Another thing I hate!

"What the hell are you laughing at now?" he yelled. My glare instantly shrunk into a nervous/scared look. I bet I looked like a lost kitten.

"Um... nice weather we're having, huh?" I asked, trying to change the subject. Yeah... didn't work out so well. Sasuke gave me this look that said 'I'll give you a slow and painful death!' But hey, that just could be me thinking too much into things.

0-0

Sasuke

0-0

I was snapped out of thoughts of my past by her quiet laughing. I stopped and felt for _his_ presence. _"Damn it, if it wasn't for Mayu, I would ran right pass!" _I thought. That still doesn't excuse that she's always laughing in a serious situation like this. Mayu seems to always laugh in the face of danger!

"What the-" Mayu began to yell, but I interrupted her. She probably hates that.

"What the hell are you laughing at now?" I asked, turning to face her. It probably came out a little too harsh. Mayu almost looked like a lost kitten, which she is not! I hate it when she makes those guilty faces. It makes my anger evaporate into nothing.

"Um... nice weather we're having, huh?" she asked. Never mind, the anger is back. I can't believe she just said that!

_"If she wasn't my friend... I would give her a slow and painful death!" _I thought. I sighed and then turned to face the building that _he_ was in._ "That guy...!"_

"So... is this the place?" I heard Mayu ask. I nodded to answer her question. I heard her scoff. "I sure hope so because last time was sho' nuff not the place!" I didn't understand what she had said, but I knew what she was saying.

I hate it when Mayu gives me those smart ass remarks! It's like she doesn't believe in me at all! But nonetheless, it could be dangerous if a fight breaks out. "Mayu..." I began but she cut me off.

"No." I turned to face her. Her weird eyes shifted in my direction. "No," she said again.

"You don't even know what I was going to say," I muttered.

"You don't want me to follow you in there," she stated. Oh, so she did know. Sometimes, Mayu seems like she's reading my mind. "Do you honestly think I don't know you by now?" I shifted my weight and looked away. She did have a point... "See... We've been through a lot together and... I don't want to lose you." She then did something that surprised my so much that all I could do was stand there. She _hugged_ me! Ishikari Mayu _never_ hugs me! I think I did it to her once, but that's _it_! And it didn't mean anything, might I add. The point is, she has never hugged me back. Why am I so worked up over this anyway...? "Please don't throw your life away, Sasuke," Mayu continued as she released me. She gave me a smile and just stared. Her Hyuga eyes—they were so weird.

_"I want to see her real eyes_," I found myself thinking. I don't understand... Suddenly, I felt as if my face was on fire and mild shivers were going all throughout my body, though I tried not to show it. Was she using some kind of jutsu on me? My eyes widened because the arm she touched seemed warmer than the other. What the heck was happening to my body? "M-Mayu-"

_**BAM!**_

Out of nowhere she punches my face in! No, I'm serious. She literally punched me _in the face_. Isn't she the sweetest? I seriously need a new friend. Anyway, the stand she had knocked me into was selling alcohol. Great, now I'm going to smell like this all day. I stood up, ignoring what the owner had to say, and glared at Mayu. "What the hell was that for?" I yelled, holding my face. Screw trying to be quiet! Mayu snickered and then flat out just laughed while pointing!

"You thought I was gonna give you a little goodbye kiss?" she laughed. "As if I'd do something like _that_!"

_"Why you little brat!"_ I thought, resisting the urge to strangled her on the spot.

I hate it when she switches moods like that! "Ten minutes..." Mayu said, getting my attention; her laughter seemed to have vanished. "If you're not back by then... I'll come after you... like you stole my cookie." Ten minutes... what does she- My eyes widened in realization. I can't believe I forgot about Naruto! "Good luck!" Mayu said cheerfully while pushing me towards the entrance to the inn. "I'll put some ice on that later."

I looked back at her one more time before going in. _"Ten minutes, huh?" _I thought, going up the stairs. _"That should be enough time, right?"_ I know Mayu isn't a very patient person. Ten minutes is ten minutes to an average person, but with Mayu, it's only about seven. _"I hope that's enough time,"_ I thought frowning. Please don't let her patience run thin.

0-0

Mayu

0-0

_"I think my patience is running thin,"_ I thought, sitting on a bench near the staircase that Sasuke went up. _"I am seriously bored out of my mind!" _Should I have really said ten minutes? I mean, that is a _long_ time! I noticed that one of the workers at this inn glancing at me every so often. _"Sheesh! I haven't even done anything yet!" _I thought glowering. Leave it to a grown up assume the worst.

The man finally came over to me, but I pretended not to notice by looking to the entrance. The man cleared his throat, but I refused to turn away from the entrance. "Excuse me, little girl," he finally said making me turn to face him. The man looked around my dad's age. His greenish black eyes held amusement for some reason. Now, I don't really know how a person could have that color for their eyes... on second thought, this is anime.

_"Great, this guy thinks I'm funny-looking!"_ I thought.

"Are you-" he began but I cut him off.

"Actually, I'm thirteen, sir, that means I am no longer a little girl," I said. I saw the man's eye twitch; he scratched his short black hair. If I were a bit older, I probably would have considered him handsome. But my dad's better looking. He could have been an idol back in his prime.

"I'm very sorry for my rude mistake," he said while his eyebrow twitched. I smiled at his clearly irritated expression. "Yes, yes... Are you waiting for someone, a parent, maybe?" he asked. I shook my head and said no. "Then why are you here?"

"... My father sent me here to... wait... on... my older sister," I lied. "My sister can be a real pain! She takes forever to get ready!"

"Oh, well... I'll leave you to your waiting, then!" he said and then sorta scampered off. I blinked in confusion.

_"Okay... that is definitely going on my weird list!"_ I thought, looking away towards the staircase. _"Sasuke... how long has it been?"_ Bored, I looked towards where that man had disappeared to and I could have sworn I saw a foot kick a boy out from around the corner. _"The hell...?"_ The boy stood up with his hand on his forehead. Now that I got a good look at him, I could tell that he was my age.

"Damn that stupid father of mine," I heard him grumble as he ran his fingers through his short jet black hair. I laughed. That interaction I just saw was similar to how my mother got me to go to school. "Hey! You think that was funny!" the boy yelled. That's when we made eye contact, the boy's face became red... probably from anger. "Dad was right..." I heard him whisper, looking away.

"Huh...?" I asked.

"N-Nothing..." he said.

"Well anyway, I wasn't laughing at you," I said. He stared at me and smiled. He looked similar to who I think was his father, even his eyes. He was kinda cute. The boy sat next to me and stared at me.

"Hey, what's your name?" he suddenly asked me. I gave him a look that said 'Excuse me!' He chuckled slightly. "Sorry, that was pretty rude of me," he said. Darn straight it was! "My name is Sawatari Nakatsu."

"Ishikari Mayu," I said in reply.

"Wow... that's a nice name," Nakatsu said. "Mayu..." I could feel my face grown hot at the compliment. What's with this guy? "You know you're probably the most... beautiful girl I've ever met." HUH...?

"I think you mean strange…"

"No, I know what I said." _Ah_, a playboy, huh? No male had ever spoken to me this way before.

"Uh… yeah… I've gotta go now!" I stood up. Waving, I walked up the stairs. I shook my head and tried to focus. I had more important things to worry about other than some random boy flirting with me. How much time had passed? _"I hope Sasuke's alright!"_ I thought frowning.

0-0

Sasuke

0-0

I am not alright! Right now, Itachi is standing over me. I tried to use my Chidori but he just push me aside like I was nothing. _"He's still stronger than me!"_ I thought angry. _"I can't beat him__?__!"_

"Little brother..." Itachi said making me look up at him. "Don't you know you're..." I already knew what he was going to say 'too weak'. In the end, I'm still weak. "You're a little too young to be drinking."

Huh...? What the hell...? Then realization dawned on me. _"Mayu, you brat!"_ I thought. "S-Shut the hell up!" I yelled out loud, it didn't really come out as loud as I wanted it to. Itachi just chuckled at my retort. Bastard...! Plus, Naruto was just there gawking at the situation!

"Or what...?" Itachi said. "You'll kill me? You can't kill me. You see, you lack something important. You lack-"

"Well… Now he's staring at me like as if he was staring in a mirror…!" a voice interrupted what Itachi was going to say. That voice sounded like a female. That voice also sounded as if it were singing. "She yells 'Honey, let me explain!' He says 'You don't have to go no further! I can clearly see what's going on behind my back, in my bed, in my home! Then I said wait a minute; now hold on!" Damn... there's only one person I know who would do something as idiotic as this.

"It's you!" Naruto shouted, confirming my fears. "Hinata better not be around. This is dangerous!"

"Shutty! I don't like being interrupted, Naruto!" Mayu shouted.

Why? Why am I so unlucky? Ever since I met this person, my life has become pleasantly _worse_! Has it really been seven minutes? Damn it, Mayu! "Now as I was saying…" She had the nerve to clear her throat. "He walks back to the room! Right now I'm sweating like hell! Checks under the bed~! Then opens the dresser! He looks at the closet! I pull out my Beretta! He walks up to the closet! Getting closer to the closet! Now he's at the closet! Damn, he's opening the closet! Closet… Closet… Closet…" She _echoed_ herself. I really hate her guts. This is the not the time to be singing!

My eyes grew wide. What am I doing? Sure, it was unconventional, but it was definitely a leeway—a distraction. Hastily, I grabbed his ankle with my left and pushed down on his leg with my right. This movement caused him to fall backwards, allowing me use his momentum to stand. Looking back, I could have used this chance to attack him again. However, my body had seemed to move on its own. I had run over to Mayu instead. "Are you an idiot?" I asked her. "Do you want me to kill you myself?" She didn't spare me a glance. "Hey, you hear me, don't-" She silenced me by pressing her index finger to my lips. I blinked in surprised. Still, she had kept her eyes on the enemy. I suppose I should do the same.

"Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame..." Her eyes narrowed at them. Finally, he stood up. He only blinked, not affected that I had actually managed to take him down. "You two… You have turned your backs against the heavenly truth by sullying your hands with evil!" I'm pretty sure I fell out of place when she said that. I don't understand how she can go from serious to silly in less than a second. "Watch as your instruments of destruction break before my Justice!" Unabashed, Mayu raised both her fists at the two enemies. _Uh_... Break before her Justice? I think Mayu has read one too many comics or has fell on her head way too many times. It seemed as if she had been dreaming of this moment her entire life.

"Great, another brat," that weird blue guy said. "Who knew we'd be this popular? What's your name, girlie!"

"_Hmph_! I'm glad you asked!" Mayu grinned. I resisted the urge to slap my forehead. I looked towards her and frowned. There she stood defiant, not once faltering in her fearless dignity. "Ishikari Mayu is the name, kickin' the bad guy's beep is my game! Ready to have my hammer of Justice smash your faces in?"

Did she say 'beep' instead of ass? Mayu is really weird... Nearly growling, I grabbed her shoulder, causing her to turn to me. "I'm going to make sure die in front of me!" She pouted, furrowing her eyebrows.

"But I came here for _you_!" She wiggled in place, causing me to twitch in slight revulsion. She seemed to catch the reaction because she, thankfully, went back to herself. "Did you like my performance? I think I was born for theatre!"

"Yeah, in a place where talent's not needed!"

"_Ah_! How could you say that? My voice is _beautiful_!" She cleared her throat. "Now I'm dashing home, doing 85! Swerving lane to lane, with fire in my eyes. I've got a million thoughts going through my mind! I'm thinking about what I'm-" _BAM_—I hit her in the head before she could finish. "_Oooowwww_! So mean to someone who's older than you!"

"You're lying," Itachi voice intercepted the retort I was about to make. Both of us turned to him in unison. As impassive as he usually was, I could tell that he was angry. Unconsciously, I took a half a step back. I had only seen that expression once, and it gave me a nightmare or two. "Although your skin is dark and your eyes are blue, dominant characters of the Ishikari clan, you are not Ishikari. Telling such an obvious lie… Are you looking to die?" My eyebrows knitted together in confusion. Clan…? There is a clan with Mayu's surname?

"Well, _e__xcuuuuuuuuuse_ the hell outta me, weasel man!" Mayu shouted before I had a chance to ponder Itachi's strange words. "Why would I lie? I am very proud of my name, so you can just shove that accusation right up your-" I covered her mouth before she could complete whatever insult she was about to say. She had already called him 'weasel,' so apparently she did want a death wish.

"Im… Impossible..." I heard Itachi mutter. "But... that nickname..."

"_What's he talking about?__"_ I thought.

"What the hell's he talking about?" Mayu's muffled voice asked. I only shrugged, not knowing either.

0-0

Mayu

0-0

I glanced at Sasuke. He seemed to be equally confused by Itachi's strange behavior. I thought he would be indifferent to my antics. Well, I guess he is Sasuke's older brother. The younger Uchiha couldn't resist my astounding charisma either. Okay, I really need to stop. It wasn't the time to be joking. I looked back at Itachi, pushing Sasuke's hand away from my mouth. The older Uchiha's face had returned to being neutral by this time. "_Oi_…!" I called out to him. His Sharingan eyes shifted to me again. "You should have stayed away," I told him. "You being here… only causes unnecessary problems." I actually glared at him. Yeah… Let's just say that Itachi isn't my favorite character. In fact, he's pretty much down there with Yashamaru. "People like you piss me off."

"Mayu, what are you doing here?" Naruto asked me. "Can't you see this is dangerous!"

"Didn't I tell you to have a big bowl of shutty?" I asked. Yes, I know I am very rude, but who's gonna stop me? I directed my attention back to Itachi... only he wasn't there! _"Okay... maybe he's gonna stop me!"_ I thought. I heard Sasuke curse under his breath, but before either of us could do anything, he was kicked away, down the hall, rolling. And me…? Itachi wrapped an arm around my neck from behind. Yup… This is a sucky situation. _"Damn you, Naruto!"_ What? I had to blame_ someone_ that wasn't me!

"Are you... really Ishikari Mayu?" Itachi whispered in my ear. I tensed. Sure, he wasn't choking me, but he could at any moment. Also, my body… It was scared to defend against Itachi. I may hate him, but the fact still remains that he is a super strong ninja—a teen titan. But let me assure my wonderful audience that if it was a normal person, I would totally get out of this hold and kick the crap out of the offender! "Careful... your answer could be the last thing you say."

_"Is this really as it ends for me?"_ I thought, swallowing spit. "Oh man… Oh..." I said out loud, I could hear my voice tremble. "Here we are, five of us, in total shock, me and him. I close my mouth and swallow spit," I nervously sang out. "As I'm thinking to myself this some deep shit!" He chuckled. Seriously, Uchiha Itachi _chuckled_. At this point, I don't know if that's good or bad.

"You're the only person I know who would look danger in the face... and joke, Mayu-chan," he said. Yeah, I usually do that when I'm nervous. I mean come on! My life is on the line here! "I've... always liked that about you."

My eyes expanded in pure confusion. _"__Eh?__?" _I thought. It sounds as if he _knows_ me! And knows me _well_ at that! That can't be... Itachi and I have never met before today. So why...? Suddenly, I noticed that the big blue guy was about to attack Naruto with his giant sword. "Naruto, move!" I shouted as the giant sword was about to slice the blond in half. However, a cloud of smoke appeared in front of him. When it disappeared, a giant frog was holding off the sword.

The frog was orange and had blue markings on its body; it also had armor on. "You two don't know me very well," a voice said. A very familiar voice, but I couldn't place it right then. Suddenly, Jiraiya appeared behind Naruto! He had a woman over his shoulder. "Jiraiya the man that is better at winning a girl..." he continued; I found myself rolling my eyes. "... then to be seduced by one. I wouldn't let a woman seduce me with her beauty. When you become as great like me, women will go crazy over your own beauty!"

_"Yeah right!"_ I thought with my eyes narrowed. _"Quite it with the theatrics, already!"_

"Yeah right! You were excited over a simple wink from that woman!" Naruto shouted, pointing a finger at the man behind him. "I don't think you should be showing off like that right now, Pervy Sage!"

"Come on, now. Don't call me that in front of people," Jiraiya said, rubbing the back of his head.

"Shut up!" Naruto shouted.

"Hey! Kinda in danger over here!" I snapped.

Suddenly, the big blue guy started laughing. So here he was talking and everyone else was talking. _"Sometimes I really hate when people have pointless conversations,"_ I thought, sighing. Suddenly, the giant frog disappeared, forcing me to pay attention. I'm surprised I didn't fall asleep, then again, there's a kunai at my neck.

"I'm not handing over the boy," Jiraiya said.

"We'll see about that," Itachi said. He still had not released me!

"Um... since you're going to fight... could you let me go!" I asked with the nicest voice I could muster.

"Mayu-chan, you foolish girl..." Itachi murmured, squeezing my shoulder. "I'm taking you with me." Huh. That doesn't seem fair. Why would he want_ me_? I'm not special like Naruto! I'm not even suppose to be here! And why does he keep speaking to me so informally?

Speaking of Naruto "What...?" he shouted before I had a chance to ask. "What could you possibly want with her?" I felt my eyebrow twitch.

_"I hope that wasn't an insult!" _I thought glaring at the blond. "He's right, though!" I said out loud turning my head slightly to see Itachi's face. "How could I be important to you?"

I saw Itachi smirk, which wasn't exactly a good sign in my book. "You'll find out when we leave this place," he said. Does that mean I'm going to die? Yep, I'm probably going to die for my insolence.

"N-No, I won't let you," a voice snarled. It was Sasuke. Oh, so he finally got up from being bitch slapped by his brother. Man, took him awhile, didn't it? I looked back as far as Itachi would let me to see Sasuke standing. "I'll kill you and no one will interfere!"

_"Sasuke... I nearly forgot about him,"_ I thought. _"I am such a retard! But anyway... he doesn't really think he's able to kill Itachi now... does he? He doesn't stand a chance right now... he's only 12 for crying out loud!"_ Sasuke... might die... "Stop being so stupid!" I exclaimed to him. "You _know_ what your brother is capable of! What's one little Uchiha going to do against someone who killed an entire clan of elite ninja, _huh_? You're not strong enough to defeat him yet! For once in your life... think of how your friends will feel if you die." Sasuke closed his onyx colored eyes and he frowned. "Sasuke... are you-" He interrupted my next sentence.

"Shut the hell up!" Sasuke shouted, snapping his eyes open. I reared back, blinking. He had triggered his Sharingan. "You know _nothing_ of my power! So shut up and get out of my way. People like you are only a distraction." It kinda took me awhile to process what he had just said and when I did... I wasn't too happy about it.

"What...?" I asked, glaring at the youngest of the Uchiha family. "Is that... how you feel? After all I've done for you, that's what you think I am? You bastard...!" My fists clenched at my sides. "You're just the rest of them… Arrogant prick of a ninja! You're worst than your brother! I hate people like you!" I know I might have been a little harsh, but that was a very mean thing to say to me! I glared at him. I was so angry. All this time, I had been thinking he was my friend…

"Do you want to hurt him, Mayu-chan?" Itachi asked me, turning me around. As he said this, his eyes seemed to glow. "Do you want to make him feel the pain you feel?"

"Girl, don't look him in the eyes!" I heard Jiraiya call to me, but I couldn't look away for some reason. My eyes started getting heavy.

_"But... I'm not tired..."_ I thought just before everything went black... except Itachi's red eyes. All I could see was his glowing red eyes. _"Now I'm in the closet… Now I'm in the closet, too~!"_

0-0


	9. Chapter 9

Mayu's shoulders slumped as her eyes closed. Itachi smirked and then turned the girl around. _"Did he just put her to sleep?" _Sasuke thought, staring at Mayu's closed eyes. The girl did appear to be sleeping peacefully; Itachi held her up, using his hand.

"What did you to her?" Naruto asked, but Itachi ignored him and looked at his little brother.

"Let her go, so there won't be any distractions when I kill you!" Sasuke yelled.

"Foolish little brother," Itachi said, touching Mayu's neck; her eyes opened slowly and she stood up straight. "You're far too weak. I won't waste my time killing you." Sasuke glared at his older brother. Itachi placed two kunai in Mayu's hands. She held no emotion on her face as she held up the kunai, ready to attack. "Instead... she will be the one to kill you."

"What?" Naruto shouted as Sasuke's eyes widen. "She wouldn't!"

"Do you really think she can stop me?" Sasuke asked with a smirk. "You must be going insane."

"You really have no idea what this girl is capable of," Itachi remarked. He touched Mayu's shoulder and as if that was some kind of signal, she threw one of the kunai at Sasuke.

_"How predictable,"_ Sasuke thought, smirking. He was about to just dodge the attack when the second kunai was thrown. It hit the first, causing both weapons to fall to the ground. What...?" he said. Sasuke looked to where Mayu was only she wasn't there. _"Oh-no!"_ Suddenly, he felt an arm wrap around his neck. Sasuke instinctively grabbed the arm with one hand to throw the attacker, but he stopped.

"How stupid you are, Uchiha Sasuke..." Mayu whispered softly. "Being distracted by such a simple weapon when _I_ am the weapon..." Impassively, Itachi watched his younger brother struggle against the girl's iron grip.

"Mayu, stop! You're going to kill him!" Naruto shouted.

"No, not like this." She released the young Uchiha and pushed him away.

"So, you're not going to kill him...?" Naruto questioned in confusion. Mayu turned her head slightly to look back at Naruto.

"I didn't say that, did I?"

Sasuke stared intensively at the girl in front of him. There was not a splash of emotion on her face. _"I have to knock her out... that's the only way," _he thought, frowning. _"Itachi will pay for what he's done!"_

"Itachi-san, are you sure this girl can handle him?" Kisame asked. "I mean, your brother is an Uchiha." Itachi didn't say a word nor did he move.

"Mayu... I'll only say this once... move and stay out of this," Sasuke said. "You will only get hurt." She didn't respond. Without warning, she ran at Sasuke. "Then that's how it will be," he muttered as Mayu got closer. When she was close enough, he knocked her into the wall. Mayu yelled out on impact. The wind had been knocked out of her. "I'm sorry..." Sasuke whispered as Mayu slid down to the floor, seemingly unconscious.

"Mayu!" Naruto yelled. "SASUKE! You didn't have to do that!"

"Shut up, Naruto!" Sasuke said, and then turn his attention back to Itachi. The oldest of the Uchihas only stared at his younger brother. "Now, that there's no distraction, I'll-" he was interrupted by someone laughing. It wasn't playful laughter. It was more of a taunt. He turned and saw that it was Mayu.

"Mayu...?" Naruto muttered. "How can she...?"

"Did you really think that I would just play dead?" she asked. "What a fool you are..."

_"What...? That should have knocked her out completely!" _Sasuke thought, watching the girl stand.

"Mayu, you're okay!" Naruto shouted, making Jiraiya hit him in the head.

"Be quiet, fool! That girl is still under Itachi's genjutsu," he said. _"But it makes no sense... __T__hat Uchiha kid is strong. The force of that impact should have knocked her unconscious or at least snapped her out of the jutsu..." _Jiraiya thought. Sasuke stepped back from Mayu; he didn't like the look in the girl's eyes.

_"It's... not natural for her to look like this,"_ he thought. No emotion was on the girl's face. _"Itachi will pay!"_ Sasuke turned to his older brother with a glare on his face. "Release her!" he ordered. Itachi merely stared. The young shinobi's face hardened, and then he ran at his brother, fully intending to go right through him. However, Mayu suddenly appeared in front of Itachi, making Sasuke stop just a few feet away. The girl did a roundhouse kick to his face, sending him airborne! The youngest Uchiha was sent across the hallway and finally stopped when his back hit the back wall.

"Wow... so the girl does have power," Kisame said as Sasuke slid down the wall, groaning.

"Don't forget, Uchiha Sasuke, _I'm_ your opponent!" Mayu called to him. Sasuke sat up with a cough.

_"What is this...?"_ Sasuke thought. _"__Shit—for some reason I keep forgetting that she's a fighter, too__."_

"Get up..." Mayu said, slowly walking to him. "Come on... I thought you were a ninja."

Sasuke stood up slowly and frowned holding his cheek. He spit out a little blood on the floor. He felt the inside of his mouth... good. Nothing was broken... yet. If this continue, anything and everything could be broken._ "It must be done..." _Sasuke thought, narrowing his eyes. Mayu was slowly, as if taunting him more, making her way over to him. _"I have to send her to Hinata..."_ he took out a kunai and held it up. _"Or send her from here... permanently."_

Sasuke ran towards Mayu with the kunai out ready to slash at her. She anticipated this and also ran at Sasuke, intending to knock the kunai from his hand. She attack almost hit Sasuke, but he disappeared, causing Mayu stop running; a log had appeared where Sasuke was before. "Substitution jutsu...!" Naruto muttered. Sasuke appeared behind Mayu with his hand up, his intention was to hit Mayu at the right place to knock her unconscious.

"You really think I was going to let you attack me again?" he asked, bringing his hand to Mayu neck, but his attack hit nothing because Mayu had moved her upper body forward and down. Her left leg shot up, catching Sasuke's jaw. She followed up by twirling on her right foot and delivering a right hook to his face. Shouting in pain, the Uchiha stumbled back. She had hit him right between the eyes, which temporarily disoriented him. _"__Damn it__,__ she's way stronger than before…__" _Sasuke thought. _"And it doesn't help that I used most of my energy earlier."_ Be that as it may, Sasuke dashed towards the girl again. Instead of using potentially deadly weapons, he would just his hands. He began rapidly trying to punch Mayu, but she dodged and held off all of his punches. This could have been because he was only using one arm. However, his onslaught did succeed in pushing her back. _"That jutsu he used on her... it must be making her this way. There's no way Mayu can be this strong__... She can't be stronger than me right now!__"_ Finally, he stopped his attack. His hunched over, panting. His eyes squeezed shut.

"Oh... so soon?" Mayu asked, feigning concern. "Then I guess it's my turn." Suddenly, she disappeared from his sight. Eyes expanding, the young shinobi turned around. Mayu's face was mere centimeters away from his own. She was at such close proximity that he could feel her breath on his chin. Sasuke swallowed hard. That moment seemed to last forever, never ending. However, it did, and quite painfully, too. Mayu had rammed her fist against his stomach.

Blood shot out of Sasuke's mouth. _"This strength…"_ He fell to his knees, holding his stomach. He coughed violently, but it was ignored. Mayu lifted him in the air by his collar. She tilted her head to the side as she stared up at him. Sasuke glared down at her. The girl straightened her neck, and then smirked. The Uchiha grabbed the arm that was holding him up. "Wh-What is this?" he rasped out. "Yo-You sh-shouldn't be able to-"

"How quick you are to assume that you're stronger than you really are," Mayu said.

"You...!" Sasuke croaked.

"Hey, Mayu, put Sasuke down!" Naruto shouted. To his utter surprise, she did. Sasuke dropped to the floor, too weakened to move. The girl turned to the blond.

"Uzumaki Naruto..." Her tone was abnormally calm. "Do you... wish to take his place?"

"_Uh__h_... Can I think about it?" he asked. _"I'd probably end up like Sasuke," _he thought. _"I'll hold back just like Sasuke and get pummeled just like him, too!"_

Mayu took a step towards Naruto, Jiraiya, and Kisame. The blond flinched. "Though it's none of your business, I suppose I'll have to keep your mouth shut." She took another step. However, before she could get further, the girl was suddenly sent flying towards the three due to the kick to her back. She went past Kisame and straight into Naruto! Both fell with surprised yelps of pain. Mayu's head had collided with Naruto's forehead protector. She stood up with a hand on her head; Naruto was still on the ground with swirly eyes. She glared at the person who hit her. Uchiha Sasuke.

"Idiot...! Didn't anyone tell you not to turn your back on your opponent?" he panted. "Even in your current state... you're still an idiot!" Mayu's right eye twitched. Without much of a warning, she Naruto with both hands and raised him above her head. By this time, he had snapped out of his stupor.

"Hey, what are you doing? Put me down!" Naruto shouted; his voice was not heard.

_"Is she planning on throwing him?"_ Sasuke thought. _"She really is an idiot!"_ Mayu actually did through Naruto, launching him like a torpedo! _"I'll just dodge him..."_

"Why am I always treated like this?" Naruto screamed as he soared through the air. Sasuke grimaced. In this state, he wouldn't be able to dodge his teammate.

"Naruto, get out of the way!" Sasuke shouted.

"And how the heck do I do th-" Naruto began to shout, but his voice was lost once he collided with the young shinobi. The two were sent into the wall at the end of the hall. And the release of gas came. Three pairs of eyes blinked... almost in confusion. Just what was that noise? It sounded like a high pressured hiss.

"D-Don't tell me Naruto just-" Jiraiya muttered.

"NARUTO, YOU FREAK!" Sasuke hollered, confirming the old ninja's suspicions.

"_Heh_... Sorry," Naruto said, getting up. He rubbed the back of his head, embarrassed. "It just... slipped..." Sasuke glared at his teammate until he heard something that made his heart stop for a second. It was laughter. The sound of that familiar laughter made him slowly turn his head. As he thought, Mayu was laughing her head off. Her hands gripped the nearby wall for support. Her foot stomped several times against the floor.

"Oh God… Oh God, no!" She was near hysterics and seemed to be ignoring everyone else in the hall. She also seemed to ignore the fact that all eyes were on her. The girl seemed much more worried about being able to breathe. "I tried! I tried!" Mayu cried out, tears in her eyes. "B-Bu-But th-_that_?" She sputtered while pointed. "That has got to be the funniest thing I have ever seen!"

"M-Mayu!" Naruto exclaimed, running over to the girl and ignoring Kisame. "Are you insane? Why did you throw me?"

The girl tried to hold back another fit of giggles by covering her mouth. "How was I supposed to know you were going to _fart_?" She could no longer keep it in. She roared with laughter while Naruto furrowed his eyebrows. "_Ahh_! Laughing like that hurts my stomach!" Mayu patted her chest several times whilst shaking her head side to side.

"Wait, wait… So… you weren't under a genjutsu?" Naruto questioned. The girl scoffed.

"No way!" She swatted at the air. Mayu pointed at her eyes. "Despite the color, these are _Hyuga_ eyes. Besides, Hinata's sensei is a genjutsu specialist, so of course she knows how to get out of one, and so she taught me." Her shoulders shrugged. "It was a pretty low level genjutsu he tried to use on me at that."

"Wh-What…?" Jiraiya murmured. Mayu only grinned. _"What the heck is with this little girl?"_ he thought.

"Why the hell did you attack me then?" Sasuke, having heard the conversation, shouted from down the hall. Naruto nodded his head. He was curious, too. Mayu shifted a glare in the Uchiha's direction.

"Because you insulted my warrior's pride!" she nearly snarled. Sasuke reared back in shock. "A _distraction_…?" Her lip twitched. "Did you really think I was going to let that comment slide? _Huh_, Sasuke?" She had screamed her last sentence out. "How dare you _discard_ me like that? You deserved _every_ _hit_ I gave you!"

"Mayu…" Guilt welled up inside Sasuke as he continued to stare at the hurt look that the girl wore.

"And yeah, I might have used your already tired body to my advantage, but I had to show _you are not ready_! You're not! I'm more ready than you at this point!" Her palm slapped her chest. "_I_ am, not _you_! And why? Because I don't have a strong emotional attachment to him!" Her finger pointed to the older Uchiha. "Look at yourself! You can't use your bloodline. You can't even perform hand signs because your wrist is _broken_! You're just a _brat_ in his eyes, Sasuke—a whiny little brat that doesn't know when he's fighting a losing battle! Your anger and hatred towards him does nothing—it has no purpose in a fight!" Mayu licked her lips. She spoke harsh words, but they were completely necessary. "You are not… At this point, Sasuke, you are not ready or _fit _to fight him."

The younger Uchiha blinked rapidly. His eyes stung, almost painfully. He knew that there was a difference in strength between his brother and himself. He knew, yet… he had kept going. The rage had taken over and he had become blinded. Sasuke released a ragged breath. Why? Why was Mayu being like this? How could she speak so unsympathetically to him? This was partly his fault. He had caused this change in her by 'insulting' her. He hadn't meant to. Those words spewed from his mouth almost unknowingly. He dropped down to his knees, squeezing his eyes shut. Mayu's words, though, were purely intentional meant to cause an impact. Her words, however callous, were true. Right now, he didn't have it what it takes to face his brother. Sasuke bit his lip.

Mayu's face softened once Sasuke's knees hit the floor. Admittedly, she had wanted to hurt him—in the same way he had hurt her. However, her words seemed to shake him to his core. His change in demeanor was unexpected. If anything, she thought he would become even angrier than before. Instead, he had crumbled. In his already vulnerable state, he had crumbled. "Sasuke…" Mayu murmured. She took several steps forward before quickening her pace towards the fallen Uchiha. However, before she could reach him, the oldest Uchiha stopped her. His arm had shot out, hand grabbing her shoulder. Tensely, she turned to him. "Can I _help_ you?" she nearly hissed. His eyes narrowed. Sweat dripped from her chip, but she did not turn her eyes away.

"It's you," he said.

"Well, look who's a genius?"

The girl suddenly found herself slammed against the wall. Naruto shouted her name. However, her back was in pain so that forced her to worry about the one causing the pain instead of the one just standing there, watching it happen. Mayu would have scoffed if it not have been for the hand on her throat squeezing just a bit tighter. "It's you," Itachi repeated. She glared at him. However, the missing ninja merely closed his eyes. "It would seem, though, you have forgotten me—forgotten about your suffering." Mayu clenched her teeth. She had no idea what he was going on about. "Then… I will remind you." Slowly, his eyes were revealed again. A surge of chakra shot through her, causing her eyes to widen. "Can you escape this level of genjutsu?" His voice echoed in her mind.

Itachi had sent her to another place, another time—perhaps even another dimension. The colors of this creepy world were inverted to either black or wide. There was no in between. She seemed to be in some type of traditional room. In front of her, there was a woman and child. However, their eyes were focused elsewhere. Mayu turned her head. Itachi was who their eyes were on. It was a younger version of him, though, yet he still wore that impassive face. _"What the hell?"_ Mayu thought.

"For twenty-four hours, you will relive that moment," Itachi spoke up.

"Itachi… Why did you kill them?" The woman's voice echoed. It sounded as though she was keeping herself from crying. "Why did you kill Haruka?" She sounded hysterical. Without a word, Itachi removed his katana from its sheath. He had moved so fast. Mayu's eyes expanded seeing the deadly weapon protrude from the woman's chest. For some reason, Mayu had cried out as if she felt the same pain. Then the scene changed. All around her, people were dropping to the floor, covered in what she assumed was blood. She didn't understand. She couldn't understand why inside her chest, her heart felt as though it was being compressed like a stress ball.

She fell to her knees, clutching her shirt and shutting her eyes. The sound of screaming did not go away. Mayu panted hard. She tried to stop and get her breathing under control, but her efforts only seemed to increase her labored breaths. The girl heard a voice, which caused her eyes to snap open. She no longer seemed to be kneeling on solid ground. Instead, she seemed to be in the air, watching the scene below. There was a man and the younger Itachi. She couldn't hear the conversation, but without warning slid his katana across the man's neck. Again, she screamed out. She felt stinging in the corner of her eyes, and then wetness down her cheeks. Why was this affecting her so much? Once again, Mayu shut her eyes. However, the images of death would not leave her mind.

She had experienced this mental torture for twenty-four hours.

0-0

Unable to handle Mayu's screaming anymore, Naruto rushed forward. "Knock it off, you bastard!" he shouted, dashing down the hall. Sasuke, too, removed himself from the floor and headed towards his brother. Broken wrist be damned! He wasn't about to let Mayu suffer because of his brother. However, before he could get close enough towards his brother, the surroundings suddenly changed. A thick slimy substance covered the entire hallway. His dark eyes shifted to Jiraiya, the Sanin. He had been the one to do this, judging from the position of his hands and that smirk.

The jutsu caused the material to wrap around the enemy's foot. Sasuke blinked, and then turned back to Itachi. He had pulled away from Mayu, leaving her stuck to the wall thanks to the substance. Mayu—what had Itachi done to her to leave her in such a state? "Hey, you two don't move!" Jiraiya's command was directed at Sasuke and Naruto. "I summoned the esophagus of a gigantic frog from the Myouboku Mountain's rock inn," the old ninja explained. "You two are wanted criminals anyway. I'll turn you two into food for this rock frog." Naruto furrowed his brow, giving a worried glance in his teammate's direction. "Don't worry. This is my jutsu."

"Kisame, come." Itachi took off down the hall, completely disregarding his younger sibling. However, Sasuke paid no mind to his departure either. Not even when his brother's partner ran pass him as well did he turn his eyes away from the stuck Mayu. He barely heard Jiraiya taunting the two ninja. After a few seconds, he did hear an explosion, though. The Sanin ran past him with Naruto following after.

Finally, Sasuke moved. He swallowed hard as he moved towards the wall. "Mayu…" He tried pulling, but she would budge. Fortunately, the fleshy walls seemed to retract, leaving the girl to fall in his arms. Because of the sudden weight, Sasuke fell to the ground, hissing because his wrist had felt the strain. Still, his eyes focused on Mayu's empty ones. The life had seemed to be sucked right out of them. "Mayu…? Get up." She didn't move or even acknowledge that he had spoken. "Mayu…! Get up!" Sasuke slapped her cheek. Still, there was no sign of life. "MAYU!" He was about to hit her again, but the girl disappeared, popping out of existence like a shadow clone. The Uchiha sat there, frozen with his hand poised to slap. That is how Naruto found him.

"What happened? Where is she?" the blond hollered.

"Hinata…!" Sasuke breathed out.

"What? What _about_ Hinata?"

0-0

The heiress of the Hyuga clan shot up from the grass. Eyes wide, her steady breaths had turned labored and frantic almost as if she couldn't breathe. "Hinata?" Her teammate, Kiba, ran over. "What's wrong with you?" Not answering, the kunoichi gripped her jacket with both hands. Her eyes narrowed. It had suddenly felt so painful. Mayu returning to her body had never felt like this before. "Hinata, are you okay?"

"I-I'm fi-" As not to make her teammates worried, she was going to say that she was fine. However, before she could finish, her pale eyes rolled. Then she collapsed, falling forward. The fading, frantic voices of her teammates faded until she could hear nothing anymore. The blinding white light also faded into black.

"What the hell?" Kiba yelled. Akamaru yipped in worry about his partner lifted the girl from the ground. They had been in the middle of a break when this suddenly happens. "We've got to get to the hospital." Behind his sunglasses, Shino's eyes narrowed.

"You go. I will inform Kurenai-sensei."

Quickly nodding, Kiba ran with Hinata in his arms. Shino went in the opposite direction. His teammate couldn't have fainted from exhaustion. Nowadays, she was the last one to call for rest. Her stamina and endurance had greatly increased since the end of the chuunin exam, so her falling out like that was definitely worrisome.

Upon reaching the hospital, Kiba demanded immediate attention. Since it was Hyuga Hinata, and not some ordinary kunoichi, the attention was given right away. Nurses took her away, whisking her on a stretcher. The Inuzuka didn't know how long he paced in the waiting room, but finally a doctor came out, asking if he was the one to bring her here. "Yes! Is she going to be alright? What happened to her?" Kiba asked.

"We cannot be sure, but it would seem that Hyuga-sama has become unconscious because of a genjutsu."

"What?" Kiba shouted in disbelief. "We were resting from our training, and our training doesn't involve genjutsu!"

"Be that as it may, young man, she is unconscious." The doctor calmly repeated himself. "We do not know when or if she'll wake up."

"That's bullshit!"

"She is not the first to come here with these symptoms. Earlier today, another patient was brought in. As soon as we can fix the damage done to him, we will alert you. What I ask of you is to alert her father right now. Good day." Before Kiba could protest and shout, the doctor walked away, leaving him standing there. He bared his teeth at the doctor's retreating back. That was it? That was all he was saying?

But what could he do? He was merely a lowly genin. His clan was as influential as the Hyuga clan. It wasn't like he could demand some answers. Kiba narrowed his eyes. Akamaru whimpered on top of his head. "I know, buddy, I know," he muttered, and then turned away. The least he could do was tell Shino and Kurenai about this. Maybe later, they could all barge in demanding to see her.

As he left the hospital, Kiba did not realize they he was being watched. However, once he was out of sight, dark eyes stopped following. Hurriedly, the shinobi scaled the building, looking into each room. Finally, he came to a stop, finding what he had been searching for. Quietly, he opened the window, and then moved inside.

Gulping, Uchiha Sasuke moved over the side of the bed. Hinata's eyes were closed. It only appeared that she was sleeping. The shinobi clenched his hand. "Mayu… You're still there, aren't you?" he asked. He grimaced because he didn't receive a response. He knew he wasn't going to, but he had hoped a smartass retort would follow. "If you are… I just wanted to let you know how stupid you were! Why couldn't you have just yelled empty words and that's it? Why couldn't you have just let me fight him?" Swallowing hard, Sasuke grabbed the unconscious girl's hand. "Idiot," he murmured. "You stupid idiot." He frowned as squeezed her hand. "If you don't wake up with Hinata, I'm going to kill you. You hear me? I'm going to _kill you_!" Sasuke breathed deeply, blinking his eyelids rapidly. Finally, he stopped, swallowing hard again. "We… We still haven't fought properly, so… You have to come back. Naruto's going to bring back an expert healer, so you'll be up in no time." For a moment, he was silent. The Uchiha released the girl's hand. He backed away as if the girl had just grown some deformed appendage. For just a moment, he had imagined Mayu's grin. And because of that…

His heart raced.

0-0


	10. Chapter 10

The first thing she felt was added weight on her forehead. The second thing she felt was the weight leave her body and returning energy—however partial it was. The third feeling that came over her was the energy draining away. She hadn't felt this exhausted since after the first time she was forced into the new training regime. And then she felt the bone-crushing, headache inducing, and back breaking embrace. Also, her ears rang become someone was yelling. All in all, it was a pretty painful experience. "Let go of her, you retard!" She knew that voice. The voice belonged to her teammate, Inuzuka Kiba. It felt as though the person who was putting her through that embrace was snatched away from her. "Are you okay, Hinata?"

Groaning, the Hyuga heiress sat up. It took quite a bit of effort, but she managed to open her eyes. However, her sight was blurred. She could barely recognize her teammate. "What…?" The kunoichi closed and rubbed at her eyes. "What happened?" she questioned. Kiba breathed a sigh of relief. After blinking rapidly to clear the blurriness, Hinata focused solely on him. "Wh-Where am I?" She suddenly coughed out. It felt as though she hadn't spoken in weeks. Water was quickly given to her. She swallowed the minty water without hesitation. It felt so refreshing. After she was finished, her gaze settled on a blond woman with a large bosom. Her brown eyes stared down at her. Hinata recognized her right away. She was one of the Legendary Three. The female of the three Sanin, Tsunade. However, she had left the village a long time ago.

"Naruto brought me here to heal you," she stated. "Somehow this idiot knew you had been hit with the same genjutsu as Hatake."

"Na-Na-Naruto-kun?" Hinata nearly squeaked. A groan reached her ears, causing her to turn her head to the right. Blond spiky hair suddenly popped into her vision. The blond ninja was rubbing the back of his head, glaring at Kiba.

"Did you _have_ to throw me _that_ hard?" he shouted, pointed his finger. "I was _just_ glad she was okay!" His blue eyes turned to her. Then his handsome grin came. "I'm really glad you're okay, Hinata." His grin, plus his kind words, only caused the Hyuga to collapse on the bed. "_Eh_? Hinata?" His voice sounded frantic, but she hadn't fainted. Hinata merely was overheated at the moment. She just didn't have the strength to force herself not to fall back especially since Naruto had grinned her way. She could only imagine what red fruit her face resembled right now.

"Quiet down, Naruto," Tsunade ordered. "She's physically and mentally exhausted at the moment. She needs rest—not some idiot ranting and raving." The blond woman shook her head, and then followed an anxiously waiting Maito Gai out of the room. "You guys leave soon so that Hyuga-sama can get some natural sleep."

"Whatever, Grandma!" Naruto childishly stuck his tongue out. Then he focused on Hinata again, not seeing the glare being given to him by the busty blond. "Seriously, you're fine, right? Mayu suddenly disappeared, and then-"

"Mayu?" Kiba interrupted. Naruto's shoulders hunched as if he had been caught stealing. He winced, too. Hinata turned her head slightly, body feeling too weak to attempt to sit up again.

"It's… It's alright, Na-Naruto-kun. I told them about Mayu-san," she murmured. At his questioning gaze, she continued. "They are my teammates. I trust them with my life, so I will trust them with my secret." Naruto frowned for a moment, and then reluctantly nodded. "Now, please tell me what happened."

"Um… I don't really know the details, but I think when you're separated from Mayu, and she takes damage, you end of receiving the same thing when she returns to you," he said. "She was put under a strong genjutsu, which caused physical strain according to Sasuke. So when she came back here, you took on that strain and fell unconscious just like Kakashi-sensei."

"I… I see," Hinata whispered. She closed her eyes for a moment. Her eyebrows furrowed. _"Mayu-san…"_ She tried to forge communication with her alter ego. However, there was no response. Trying again, she called out to her again. Once again, there was no answer. _"This means…"_ she thought. Her pale eyes opened. A feeling of alarm set in. "Mayu-san is-!"

The door slammed opened, halting Hinata from what she was about to say. All heads snapped in the direction of the door. Standing there, in the doorway, was a panting shinobi. Sweat was visible on his skin. His lips were parted, allowing his rapid breaths to escape. Many furrowed their eyebrows in confusion. Shino and Kiba were not expecting to see him. Did he even have anything to do with their teammate? A look of realization dawned on Naruto's face. Of course he would be worried. "Sasuke, we-" The Uchiha ignored his teammate and moved into the room, closing the door behind him. He walked over to Hinata's bedside. The girl slowly sat up.

"Sasuke-san…" she murmured. "I…" The Hyuga shifted her eyes to her lap. Sasuke stopped moving, eyes expanding. "I… I cannot reach Mayu-san."

"You… You mean she's gone?" Sasuke asked. The girl closed her eyes. Her fingers curled into her palm. Hesitantly, she nodded her head. The Uchiha's shoulders drooped. He sighed out. "Well…" He ran his hand through his hair. "It… wasn't like I was expecting her to-" Hinata, suddenly screaming and clutching her head, interrupted. Alarmed, the shinobi in the room looked away frantically, trying to figure out why the kunoichi was screaming her head off. Well, except Shino. He was too cool to panic.

"M-Ma-Mayu-san… ple-please sto-stop," Hinata halted her screaming for a moment. However, she soon began again, squeezing her eyes shut.

"Mayu is-"

Again, Sasuke was interrupted. This time, it was from two nurses coming into the room. He was roughly pushed aside. One of the nurses held down the girl's arms by the other inserted a needle. The Hyuga's screams only got louder. "Hinata-sama, calm yourself!" Brown eyes glared in the direction of the shinobi. "Get out, all of you!"

"But we-"

"OUT!" The other nurse shouted before Naruto could protest further.

The four young ninja hurriedly did as they were told. On the outside of the room, they listened to Hinata's screams. After a moment or two, her voice gradually began to fade until they could no longer hear her at all. "What was… that all about?" Kiba questioned. "Hinata didn't say anything about this Mayu chick hurting her."

"She doesn't!" Naruto stated. "Hinata just said that Mayu was gone and that she couldn't reach her. But maybe she was just sleeping, and only now is waking up. And she started yelling like that because Mayu had a nightmare or something."

"_A genjutsu induced nightmare,"_ Sasuke thought, narrowing his eyes. "All we can do now is wait. Hinata was given a sedative, so more than likely she'll be asleep for the majority of time," he said out loud. Naruto crossed his arms and lowered his eyes to the floor. Finally, he nodded his head in agreement. "Tomorrow—we'll come back tomorrow. Then all our questions will be answered."

"_Hm_…" Kiba reluctantly agreed by nodding his head. Shino said nothing. He followed the Inuzuka down the hallway.

"I'm going back to training," Sasuke told his own teammate.

"I'll come with-"

"No!" At his startled look, Sasuke racked his brain for an explanation. "I mean… _Uh_… Sakura is looking for you…" It was a lie. The kunoichi wouldn't be willingly looking for her blond teammate unless she really needed something from him. And that, itself, was a rarity. "You should probably meet up with her and see what she wants. Besides, you've been out of the village for awhile. So I'm sure you have lots to talk about."

"Oh… Okay. We'll see each other tomorrow then," Naruto grinned. He then took off down the hall, waving. Sasuke inaudibly released a sigh of relief. His dark eyes shifted back to the door to Hinata's room. He didn't have time to wait. Whether or not Mayu was still here—he had to confirm it now. It had been weeks since he had last come to the hospital. Even though he trained himself during this time period and tried everything to just pass the time, his mind eventually drifted to her. He lowered his eyes. To know if she remained with Hinata or had left again, it didn't matter. Either or he would finally reach some peace.

The door to the room began to open. Sasuke quickly used the transformation jutsu. He now appeared to be a regular patient. The nurses didn't give him a second glance. Once the two disappeared down the hall, Sasuke opened the door, stepped inside, and closed the door behind him. He narrowed his eyes, returning to his original body. It was times like these where he was grateful his teammate was an idiot. He had forgotten that Mayu and Hinata were stronger together. He had thought about that ability for quite some time. If the two girls' abilities were combined, then that also meant their immune systems were, too, which means they would be more resistance to things, including sedatives.

Sasuke stepped beside the bed. As he thought, Hinata was not asleep. One dosage alone wouldn't be enough to knock her out in a few minutes like it would have if she was alone. Her eyes were half covered, though, so he didn't have much time before she _would _succumb to the effects of the narcotic medicine. He shook her arm. "Hinata," he called out to her. "Wake up." Her movements were sluggish, but she did turn to him. "Is Mayu in there or not?" To his surprise, the kunoichi gave a sloppy grin.

"Don't be an idiot, bird brain!" Her slurred and slow voice caused his heartbeat to quicken. "Why wouldn't I be here?" Her hand reached up and covered her mouth. "That was definitely not cool of weasel dude to show me such horrible things. Total dick, he is." This was definitely Mayu speaking. Sasuke closed his eyes and sighed.

"_Why do I feel more at ease than I should…?"_ he thought. Still, he had gotten the peace he wanted. Now he could stop concerning himself about the girl's health. She was fine. "_Ah_, anyway, I'm leaving, so-" Before he could finish his sentence, he felt the front of his shirt being yanked down. His eyes shot open. His instincts kicked in and his hands launched downward in an effect to keep himself from completely falling. However, his efforts only landed him in a compromising position. A small gasp escaped his throat. His cheeks flushed… at the thought of being caught like this. If anyone walked in right now, they would assume the worst!

"_Oi_…!" Mayu glared half menacingly at him. Half because she was under the influence of the sedative. She looked pretty silly trying to glare at him especially since she was using Hinata's body. "I don't like your brother. So if you turn into him, I'll kick your ass!" The threat was even sillier, and because of it, Sasuke actually scoffed. Mayu didn't seem to like this response because she pulled him forward again. The Uchiha clenched his teeth, trying to rear his head back as far as it could go. Their noses had touched. "I'm serious! If you start acting like him, I'll… I'll…" Her grip on his shirt loosened. Her eyelids fluttered close. "I'll… get… you…"

Sasuke waited a few seconds, frozen, until he deemed it safe enough to move again. He pulled away, prying the girl's fingers from his shirt. "What the hell, Mayu?" The young shinobi swallowed hard as he backed away from the bedside. Now, the girl was asleep because of the sedative. He was glad that he made it in time. Sasuke suddenly sank down to the floor, squatting. His hands grabbed his head. _"Why does… Why does it feel like I've exhausted my chakra?" _he thought, closing his eyes. As soon as she had grabbed onto him, that's when his body felt as though it had frozen. And now, away from her, he could seriously hear his own heartbeat. Should it be _this_ loud? The young ninja swallowed again before he stood up. With one last glance at the sleeping Hyuga, Sasuke turned to leave. _"This doesn't mean anything," _he thought. _"I'm just glad she's still here, that's all."_

After all, Mayu was one of the first people who looked at him and didn't see his name. She didn't see his title—the Last of the Uchiha. She didn't see his clan. She didn't even see his looks. That girl treated him like an individual. The only way she began to respect him is when he started respecting her. A person like her… was heard to come by. Admittedly, Sasuke didn't need to lose a person like that. She brought him back to reality—she always had. If she were to leave again—or if she hadn't come back at all—where could he be right now? Spiraling down a path of destruction, coming to despise everything, only thinking about his brother and revenge? For some reason, that thought seemed to be likely. Mayu was looking for revenge, too, but she didn't let it consume her.

As he exited the room, he closed his eyes for a moment. Sasuke would never admit this out loud, but Mayu was beginning to become a bit of a role model for him. The young Uchiha slid his tongue over his teeth. No one knew about it, but he would do this action subconsciously whenever he was discomfited. As observant as she was not even Mayu realized. Or maybe she did, and had just never commented on it. Then again, she could just be waiting for a chance to blackmail him.

He wouldn't put that past her.

0-0

It was days later when Hinata was finally released from the hospital. Even more days had passed since he had last since Mayu. So Uchiha Sasuke was a bit surprised to see her walking towards him like this. Honestly, he had believed that the girl was avoiding him or something. It had almost been an entire week, after all. Sasuke stood up, having just begun to rest from training. She walked at a leisure pace, staring down at the grass. Her eyelids were lowered, partially covering her blue Hyuga eyes. "Ma-" She walked right past him. She walked _right past him_! "What the hell, Mayu?" Sasuke exclaimed, turning around. Not once did she look back at him. "Mayu!" He grabbed her arm, forcing her to look his way. "What's your problem?"

"Sasuke…?" She blinked, and then looked around. "_Huh_. I really need to stop getting lost in thought."

"What?" His hand slipped from her arm. "What's wrong with you?" Mayu released a heavy sigh as if she had been holding it in for quite some time. She plopped down on her bottom and sighed again. Sasuke watched her, eyebrow raised. He had known Mayu for awhile now, but this was the very first time he had seen her like this. It was like a mix between confusion and depression. _Brooding _is something Ishikari Mayu did not do, which is why this was weird.

"A lots been on my mind," she admitted. She closed her eyes. "That genjutsu your brother put me under…" The girl scratched her cheek. "I don't know the basic purpose of it, but he showed me some horrible stuff. Where I come from, stuff like that is shown all the time, so it shouldn't have affected me. But it did… It felt like… I was connected to the people who Itachi was killing." Her eyes opened again. "Even now as I think about it, I feel like crying. In addition to feeling like this, I can't help but think Itachi purposefully showed me those images. As it was happening, he kept saying 'Remember… who you are,' trying to be Mufasa. Don't quit your day job." Mayu slid her fingers through her black hair. Sasuke almost rolled his eyes. "I don't know," she murmured. "And on top of that, I realized that any damage that I take, Hinata is affected, _too_. I hate this."

Sasuke finally sat down across from her, causing the girl to look in his direction. "What genjutsu that was… It was probably supposed to confuse you like this. That man is a bastard who likes toying with people's emotions," he said. "I wouldn't be surprised if someone like him didn't go easy on you just because you're not a ninja." For a moment, Mayu merely stared at him. Then she had the nerve to avert her eyes and chuckle. It was a '_heh_—fool' type of chuckle. Sasuke had to restrain himself from hitting her.

"_Nah_, I think it's more complicated than that. Besides, he mentioned a clan known as Ishikari," she said. The girl reached into her jacket. "Which is why I had a little espionage mission in the Hokage building." Mayu revealed a beige folder and mischievous eyes. She smirked seeing the stunned look on Sasuke's face. "Surprise…? You shouldn't be." She waved the folder in his face. "I could be a ninja if I wanted." The folder was snatched from her hand. However, Mayu did not mind. "I haven't looked at it, myself. I'm a bit scared to know what I'll find."

"How'd you sneak pass security, anyway?" he asked.

"Everyone's so worried about the new Hokage that they're totally ignoring their original duties," Mayu answered with a shrug.

"Sometimes, I think you're—Ishikari clan, it's _real_?" At last, his dark eyes scanned over the file's name. Quickly, he opened the folder. The first page listed names, all with the same surname. He didn't see Mayu's name. However, there were a lot of variations. For example, one of the clan heads had the name Mayuka. The young shinobi went to the next page. It was a brief description about the clan, which didn't answer much of anything. However, the description did mention _his_ clan—the Uchiha clan. Also, there was a location. It couldn't be. This location was near the Uchiha district. There were no other places beside his home. Mayu suddenly made an irritated noise, snapping Sasuke out of his thoughts.

"Well, what's it say?" she asked. The young Uchiha abruptly closed the folder and closed his eyes.

"Nothing—it has nothing to do with you. It's merely a coincidence that your surnames are the same," he announced. "It gives no vital information. It doesn't even say if they're dead. It's got nothing to do with you. Now, I'm going to take this back where you found it." It was best to not have Mayu worrying about something that didn't concern her. However, he couldn't deny that his curiosity had reared its head. He had never heard of the Ishikari clan—didn't know that it existed. His father never mentioned it. _No one_ ever mentioned it. If this clan did indeed have some relation with the Uchiha clan, then he would have to find out what that relation was. As heir to the clan, he _had_ to know. Sasuke was unexpectedly yanked out of his musings by Mayu. She had grabbed onto his shirt and pulled his forward. He opened his eyes to see a snarl on the girl's face. His body froze under her heated gaze. Oh, the irony. "What… I meant to say is… we should look into this matter because it's obviously important… yeah…"

This answer seem to satisfy Mayu because she released him, roughly, causing him to fall back. The girl stood up and brushed her hands. Grumbling to himself, Sasuke, too, stood. She began to walk away. "I'm glad we're on the same page." The ninja only glared. As if she felt it, she stopped, flinching. Sasuke's brow furrowed at her actions. Slowly, her blue Hyuga eyes turned to him. "I just… suddenly got a weird feeling," she told him. "I've got the strangest feeling we're going to be climbing a cliff."

"… You're an idiot."

"Seriously! I think we're going to be climbing up a cliff!"

"Morons should be seen and not heard."

"_Bite_ me, bird brain!"

0-0

"What the _beep_ did I just say?" Mayu shouted in annoyance. The shinobi above her only closed his eyes for a moment and continued climbing. They had been cliff climbing for the past five minutes, and she chooses now to say something? Typical Mayu. Sasuke frowned. But this was strange. At the moment, they were west of the Uchiha district. Granted, he hadn't come this way before, but he was sure that only the Uchiha's home was the only thing out this far from the village. There was no way, _no one_ knew of this place. Well, since a folder was found, _somebody_ had to.

"_Does Itachi know about this place?"_ he thought. Like Mayu had said previously, Itachi _had_ brought up the clan in the last encounter. The missing ninja did seem surprise when Mayu proudly stated her name. This whole situation was shrouded in mystery, and he was annoyed that he didn't know a thing about it. This clan was bringing up too many questions, and Sasuke was beginning to feel that there were inconsistencies. With what, he couldn't be sure at this point.

After another few minutes of climbing, and the occasional humming from the girl below him, the two finally made it to the top. Sasuke's eyes widen at what lay in front of him. There was a sign that read 'Here lies the burial site of Ishikari.' He supposed that meant that they had all died. There were fifteen graves exactly, one for each member of the clan. It was a graveyard—probably a few years old. The graves looked the same. They must have been buried at the exact same time. A noise from Mayu caused Sasuke to look her way. Oh right… She must be feeling sad, looking at this place. Not only was there no one alive to question, but it was a burial site. There was a frown on her face as she continued to stare at the graves. "Mayu…"

"You know what I just realized?" she murmured.

"Wh-What?" He was hesitant on knowing. After all, if she started crying, he wouldn't know what to do.

"We could have used our _chakra_ to get up here faster!" Mayu out of the blue yelled out. She stomped forward. "So help me, if don't find anything valuable, I'm _going_ to go apeshit!" Sasuke watched her departing back, eye twitching. There were times where she was _too_ unpredictable. Smirking, the Uchiha followed the girl into the traditional house. It looked a lot like his home, yet larger. Everyone in the clan must have resided here. He met Mayu inside, and after examining the surroundings, she turned to him. "This place is too big. I think we should split up for the time being. I'll go further in, while you check the rooms around here. Got it?"

"Yeah," he agreed. "We'll meet back up in ten." Mayu nodded, and then walked off, leaving Sasuke standing there. He began his part of the search. There wasn't much here. The place had been cleared out. There was no furniture in any of the rooms that he had search. Well, there had been bookcases. However, the books were novels, nothing of any value. The only thing he had learned in his search was that the Ishikari clan loved reading... about fighting apparently. Most of the books were action type stories. They were probably a violent group. Sasuke shoved his hands in his pockets. The time limit was over. And so he headed back to where he and Mayu had started.

However, the girl was not waiting, impatiently, in the hallway. He called out her name, but there was no response. Raising an eyebrow, his dark eyes shifted down the hallway where she had disappeared. Sasuke sighed lightly, and then followed the path further into the house. He looked in each of the rooms, but there was no sign of Mayu. Continuing to call her name, his concern began to rise. She had yet to call back to him. By the time he had found her, he was panting. He had started running around, frantically looking for her. His teeth clenched seeing her, unharmed, sitting in the middle of an unchecked room. "You know…" Sasuke glowered at her back. "You could have answered me!"

Mayu did not turn around and give a smartass remark like he thought she would. In fact, she gave no sign of having heard him speak. She continued to sit in her kneeling position, completely silent. Confused, Sasuke stepped into the room. The motionless girl finally moved. Ever so slightly, her head bowed. "Finally…" she whispered. "The blood of Uchiha is within my grasp." The young Uchiha blinked twice. Was it just him or did Mayu's voice sound a bit different—harsher. "All these years of waiting… The time is now!" She stood up.

"What the hell-?"

"You are Uchiha, aren't you?" Mayu suddenly screamed, turning around. She pointed a finger. "Kill the Uchiha! Kill the Uchiha!"

"_Eh_…?" He actually squeaked out in surprise.

"… _heh_. You're so gullible, Sasuke." Mayu suddenly covered her mouth and averted her eyes, missing the murderous look the young shinobi was giving her. "You should've seen the look on your face. You were terrified. Don't tell me you're afraid of-" A strike to the head interrupted her. "_OW_! Why?"

"Don't be such an idiot, cocoon!"

"What did you just call me? Are you making fun of my name?"

"I believe I am! Cocoon!"

"That's it! I'm gonna-" She halted mid attack, and then sighed. "You're going to pay for that later, but for now, I want you to see something." Mayu beckoned him with her finger. "Come here." Sasuke gave her suspicious eyes before ultimately obliging her. "The reason I was saying all those things is because apparently Ishikari and Uchiha had something to do with each other." It was then that he noticed that she was holding a book under her arm. She lifted it so he could see it clearly. Like the other books he had come across while here, this was old. It wasn't a hardback, though. "I found it under the floorboards in here."

"You pulled up the floorboards?"

"Well, I wasn't finding anything, so-"

"If we get in trouble because of you, I-"

"Stop interrupting me, you fool!" Mayu hissed. She opened the book. Her eyes focused on the writing. "This is a diary, belonging to Ishikari Mayuka. I think she was the clan's head." Sasuke narrowed his eyes. The girl had been right in her thought process. "You probably won't understand any of it. It's written in another language." He scanned the words. Once again, Mayu was right.

"But you can understand this?" In his opinion, he appeared to be nonsense.

"Yes, I can. My father made me learn this language before my twelfth birthday."

"Who is your father?"

"Ishikari Chinoutori."

"And your mother?"

"Ishikari Sheena."

"_Shiia_…?" Sasuke repeated. Mayu chuckled.

"_Ah_, she's a foreign woman." She pointed to herself. "That's why I have this dark skin. I'm Blasian."

"… Right…" He was going to pretend that he knew what she was talking about. "So what's the diary say exactly?"

"Well, I didn't read the whole thing, just the last entry," Mayu explained, flipping through the pages. "This woman apparently hates your clan." Her eyelids lowered as she read the page over again. "Her last entry says that she must speak to the Hokage because she feels that Uchiha Fugaku has betrayed them all."

"Fugaku…?" Sasuke's eyebrows furrowed. That was the name of his father. However, before he could state this, Mayu resumed speaking, dropping another bombshell.

"And at the very bottom of the page, there is a message addressed to Uchiha Itachi and blood," she said. Eyes expanding, he leaned forward to hear the message clearly. "It says 'Despite what has happened here… Despite what you have made us witness, I know that you are a good boy and this is your father's fault that the Ishikari had fallen, Itachi. So please… when my daughter returns, do what needs to be done. You should probably stay away from my brother, too.' That's it." Mayu closed the book. "This woman must have been dying while writing that vague message. What a strong woman… Dying, she even hid this."

"She's delusional, that's what she is!" Sasuke almost snarled. Mayu turned narrowed eyes in his direction. "There is no way in hell my father is responsible for an annihilation of an entire clan! And Itachi…? Good? There's not _one_ good thing about him!"

"Except his dashing good looks."

"Except his—Mayu, this _isn't_ funny!"

"Calm down, bird brain. It's a diary for a reason. This is solely the woman's opinion, not everyone else's," Mayu explained. Sasuke still didn't stop glaring. The girl grinned before lightly pinching his cheek. "Besides, I think you're cuter." She moved passed him, towards the door. Lucky for Sasuke that she did. His cheeks turned red, and it wasn't because she had just pinched him. "Anyway, we learned something. The clan was wiped out, but there are still two left. The woman's daughter and brother are out there somewhere. I think we should find them."

"It has nothing to do with us!"

"Your father is involved. Your brother is involved. How the hell doesn't it have anything to do with us?"

"But… you…"

"And this clan has my surname. I want to know if it really is a coincidence," Mayu looked to the floor. "Itachi definitely said that the distinct physical features of this clan are dark skin and blue eyes. _I_ have those characteristics. I _have_ to know if it's truly a coincidence. Dark skin and blue eyes aren't really a common thing where I'm from, after all." Sasuke clenched his fists. He didn't know why he felt the way he did. But seeing Mayu stressing over this caused him to frown. Also the thought of Itachi having _anything_ to do with her made him want to hit something. "Anyway, we should leave now. I'm hungry." She began to leave.

"Wait…" Sasuke called out to her, causing her to halt. Her eyes met his dark ones. "We… We shouldn't tell anyone about this."

"I know."

"No, Mayu—I'm serious. This is _our_ secret. No one else can know," Sasuke emphasized. "You can't just spill the beans when you get annoyed with questions." Mayu gave him a sour look. He returned it.

"Fine, fine—I'll keep my mouth shut. _Jeez_…" she muttered with a roll of her eyes. Sasuke refrained from doing the same as he walked towards her. "So can we eat now? I'm hungry."

"Whatever…"

"Also, we should get pictures! To have physical evidence of our secret!"

"Do you think I'm made of money, cocoon girl?"

"_Ooh_! Say that again, bird brain! I want you to! Give me a reason!"

0-0

Thanks to all those who have reviewed and commented, I **_love_** you people. You people are the one of the main reasons why I try to get these chapters out as quick as I can.

For those who _only_ favor the story... screw you. Maybe I'm just saying this because it's almost three in the morning and I'm sleepy and I have been watching youtube again, but... screw you. Hard. In the butt. No lubrication. Because you don't help. At all.

Gosh, I'm tired.

Anyway, I'll submit this during _normal_ hours.


	11. Chapter 11

_Um_… I'd like to apologize for my last author's note. I forgot it was there. That was not supposed to be read by the public. _Eheh_. I'm pretty sure the only reason I typed such a graphic thing was because I was sleepy and angry with someone else. Because they had the nerve to get involved in something that wasn't any of their business. It was between me and a person, who favors many of my things, yet doesn't ever comment.

I merely wanted to know his opinion, and all of a sudden this old wench comes along and threatens me, claiming to be the guy's girlfriend. I was insulted and appalled that someone older than I am would resort to using such language against me. So, I'm sorry, I took it out on you guys. I didn't mean any harm… about the lubrication. Oh man, am I ever sorry! I am so sorry.

Please accept my humble apology, dear readers.

0-0

Hinata stood up, causing two pairs of eyes to look her way. As she thought, she was immediately questioned. After all, she had only sat down a few moments ago. Her meal had not been touched. "I... I have to go now," she answered. "I plan to eat while once I leave."

"And what do you plan on doing?" her father asked. He returned his attention to his meal as if he didn't care either way what she planned on doing.

"I will train," Hinata replied. Her younger sister blinked, and then turned her eyes to her father. She remained silent, not speaking her opinion. This was the first time her sister had mentioned training outside the Hyuga household. Actually, Hinata was never seen training at home in the first place. Ever since she had failed the chuunin exam she had not trained or sparred with any of the instructors father had assigned to her.

"With whom are you training with?" Hiashi asked. "You're teammates…?"

"No, father. They are not my teammates."

Hinata was planning to meet Naruto at his favorite ramen place, and then start training after they eat. After all, they had planned to do this some time ago. Before Naruto had left the village. "Do they know your weaknesses? You are going to be hurt if they don't," Hiashi responded. Hinata's fist were clenched at her sides.

_"Why does father always do this?"_ she thought, bowing her head.

**Hinata…**

The heiress winced, hearing the warning tone from her mind guest. _"What can I say, Mayu-san?"_ she thought. _"He's my... father."_ It had been nearly two months since Mayu had come into her life. Because of her friend, she had pushed herself to become stronger. Had her own father noticed? No. He was too busy still believing her to be a failure. Then again, she had been secretive about it. Still, it was her _father_, head of the Hyuga clan. He was supposed to be the best at detecting things _by default_. A small frown worked its way onto Hinata's face. Be that as it may, she couldn't very well come out and voice her opinion. The man was her father. She couldn't be disrespectful to him.

**Whatever! He's not my dad! I'm going to set him straight****!**

_"W__**ait...!"**_ Hinata demanded, but it was too late. Mayu had already made the switch.

"Hinata, answer...!" Hiashi's voice made the girl look at him. Hiashi was taken aback at what he saw. His 'daughter' was openly frowning at him. She even had the nerve to raise a brow as if he was a raving fool. The older Hyuga narrowed his eyes in her direction. As of late, there had been changes in his oldest daughter. On quite a few occasions he had believed that someone else had been impersonating Hinata. However, that couldn't be true. There was no way anyone could create a perfect transformation and get away with under his eyes. No. This was his daughter.

"Actually, _father_," her usually meek voice bit out. "My friends, Naruto-kun and Sasuke-san, know exactly how _strong_ I am." She crossed her arms, tilting her head to the side. Then she smirked. Hinata _smirked_! Wait… She was training with the Uzumaki _and_ Uchiha? "And _that's_ why they want to train me. Maybe if you'd pay attention, you'd see how much I've grown and how _stronger_ I've become since the chunin exams!"

"Hinata, you are out of order!"

"Am I?" Hinata raised her voice. The Hyuga had managed to switch places with Mayu again as her father called her out. He had never said that she was 'out of order' before. Albeit, her voice had never retorted before either. Actually, Mayu had retorted to him before. The first time had probably been a shock to him, and so he did not know how to respond. "You are my father. I should be able to _talk_ to you and give my true thoughts. I _have_ grown a lot stronger. And I... want you to acknowledge me. So I choose to train outside of your sight." Nor Hiashi or Hanabi spoke. Both were speechless. Hinata bowed her head, and then turned to leave. "Goodbye. I do not know what time I will return. Training the way I do takes time." With that being said, Hinata left the room.

_**WHAAAAAAAAAT**_**? Hinata, I am so proud of you! I LOVE YOU!**

Hinata blushed at Mayu's compliments. _"Thank you, Mayu-san!" _After a moment's pause, she smiled. _"I... love you, too."_

_**Haah**_**… ****Now, if only you can say that to your Naruto!**

_"M-Mayu-san...! Please stop teasing!"_

0-0

"N-Naruto-kun...!" With Naruto's above average hearing, he had heard her perfectly. The blond shinobi turned around to see Hinata. She pushed the paper flap out of the way and entered the ramen stand. "I apologize for being late! Did you wait long?" Hinata asked. She moved to sit by his side. Naruto swallowed the ramen that was in his mouth.

"Nope! I'm not even on my fifth bowl yet!" Naruto answered. "Sasuke, here, kept me company!"

"I would rather not have," Sasuke remarked from his position on Naruto's other side. "_I_ only wanted to eat." Finally, his dark eyes turned to Hinata. She nodded in acknowledgement. "Hey, Hinata..." He finished off his ramen after greeting the kunoichi.

"Hello, Sasuke-san," Hinata returned. The Uchiha grunted, and then shifted his gaze. His eyebrow twitched.

"Where's Mayu?" he asked.

Hinata turned her attention to Sasuke. "Mayu-san is not with me," she stated. "Why do you ask?"

"Isn't it obvious, Hinata?" Naruto asked. He grinned, which caused the Hyuga to blush and look away. "He wants to talk to his _girlfriend_! I bet he wants to _kiss_ her, too!" The blond did not notice the blood-thirsty glare that Sasuke was giving him. Hinata let a giggle escape her lips. Hearing the small laugh from the girl caused Naruto to laugh along with her. However, their laughter was short lived. Obviously, Sasuke did not like the blatant implication. He had palmed his bowl, and then struck his teammate's head with it.

"N-Naruto-kun...!" Hinata gasped as the ramen bowl fell to the ground with a clang.

"... SASUKE!" Naruto shouted.

"So where is she?" The indifferent shinobi completely ignored the growling. Hinata laughed nervously at the predicament she suddenly found herself in.

"_Um_... Mayu-san saw the two of you here and stopped at one of the nearby stands," she answered.

"I see..." Sasuke muttered. He turned his eyes away from the two to his left. _"What's she thinking?"_he thought. The last time he saw her was when they had went to that place. That had been three days ago. For a moment, his eyes closed. He couldn't believe he was depending on someone else like this. When his team didn't have missions, he would usually sit at home or train on his own. Now, he was just itching for something else to do. Mayu typically had something that would erase is boredom. Sasuke inaudibly sighed. She couldn't be avoiding him, could she? That couldn't be it. After all, Mayu wasn't the type. If she was mad at him, then she would definitely let him have it. _"Then again, that place could be getting to her."_

"YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO HIT ME!" Naruto shouted, but Sasuke only ignored him and stared at the wall. "Why you...!" Hinata interrupted him by placing a hand on his shoulder. Naruto calmed down a bit. Right, right… He had to control his loud emotions. That's the reason he and Hinata decided to train in the first place. Sure, the kunoichi was a strong one and he couldn't wait until they got a chance to spar. However, the main reason they were meeting was because Hinata had suggested meditation. As boring as that sounded, she had told him it would not only regulate his chakra reserves but it would also help to control emotions, preventing him from lashing out.

Slowly, Hinata slid her hand away from Naruto's shoulder. He had quickly ordered another bowl of Ramen. The Hyuga did the same. The three sat in silence. Well, except for Sasuke. He appeared as though he couldn't keep himself from drumming his fingers against the table. It was beginning to tick Naruto off. He glared at his friend/rival in Uchiha did not seem to care for the glare and continued to drum his fingers. He was deep in thought. Finally, the noise abruptly stopped. "I'm..." Sasuke spoke. "I'm going to go look for her." He rose from his seat as he said this.

_"It's about time..."_ Hinata and Naruto thought in unison, which was very rare. However, they each had their own reasons for thinking this. Sasuke began to walk away, but Naruto's voice stopped him. "Hey, remember that our training begins at noon!" he said.

"You're the one that needs it more," his teammate remarked. Sasuke ignored the growl again. "We won't be long. We'll meet at the designated training area."

"_Pfft_! Yeah, sure you will!" Naruto muttered sarcastically.

Sasuke delivered a final glare to Naruto before disappearing into the crowd. "Here's your order, Hinata-san!" the owner said, breaking the silence; he sat down the bowl of miso ramen in front of Hinata.

"Thank you!" the girl replied, picking a pair chopsticks. "Itadakimasu..." After that, she began to eat.

"Hey, old man! Another bowl!" Naruto shouted. The owner grumbled something under his breath; sounded like 'expensive tab.' "And make it snappy!"

"Na-Naruto-kun-" Hinata began to say. However, a loud voice interrupted her.

"NARUTO, WHERE ARE YOU?" It was obviously a female's voice.

"Hey, that's Sakura-chan!" Naruto exclaimed, turning around. "Sakura-chan, I'm in here!" he called. Seconds later, Haruno Sakura appeared.

"Naruto, do you know where Sasuke-kun is?" she asked. This only made the blond shinobi frown and roll his eyes.

"Who cares?" he murmured, turning back around. Suddenly, Sakura's arm wrapped round poor Naruto's neck. Like other countless times, his female teammate had him in a choke hold.

"_I_ care, you little brat!" she screeched. "Now tell me where Sasuke-kun is or I'll snap your neck!" Hinata's eyes went wide at the scene in front of her. this was the first time she had ever seen Naruto's face turn blue from Sakura's torture. "Speak, Naruto!"

"Sakura-san...! Please let go of Naruto-kun!" Hinata ordered. Her jaw clenched, seeing the behavior Naruto had to deal with from his own teammate. Her anger steadily grew. Naruto's skin was beginning to change colors again. The angry look from Sakura's face vanished as she turned her head to Hinata. However, her grip held strong on the struggling shinobi.

"Hinata...? What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Let go of Naruto-kun!" Hinata cried out, frantically. Naruto's face had turned pale. Sakura promptly dropped him to the floor. She ignored the fact that Naruto was struggling to get in as much oxygen as possible back into his lungs.

"So what are you doing here, Hinata?" Sakura asked, but Hinata ignored her and instead of answering, she dropped down to Naruto to see if he was all right.

"Are you okay?" she asked him.

"I will be... in a minute..." Naruto coughed out.

"Sakura-san, please do not be so mean to Naruto-kun!" Hinata said, turning her eyes back to her fellow kunoichi.

"Oh, he's used to it by now," Sakura said, waving her hand dismissively. "Anyway, tell me where Sasuke-kun is!" she demanded once Naruto had calmed down.

"How should I know?" Naruto shouted. "Go find him yourself! He's probably with his girlfriend, anyway!"

Sakura bowed her head. It had gotten eerily quiet. Her head suddenly snapped up, causing Naruto's eyes to widen in fear. Her eyes had started _glowing_! "HOW _DARE_ YOU? SASUKE-KUN DOESN'T HAVE A GIRLFRIEND!" Her scream of protest was followed up by a punch to Naruto's face. The boy fell out of his chair... again.

"I was just kidding! Stop hitting me!" Naruto grumbled. He stood up, holding his cheek. "If you really want to know, Sasuke is with Mayu." Sakura blinked, mouthing the girl's name. It was Hinata's unusual guest. Again. Every time she had gone to find Sasuke, he seemed to be always with that girl. Hinata, sensing the shift in Sakura's demeanor, quickly moved to leave.

"Well, I guess we should be going now!" she said, dragging the confused Naruto with her.

"Mayu...?" Sakura's eyelids lowered. "Sasuke-kun and her aren't… together, right?"

"Hey, you! Are you going to pay for your their food?" the owner demanded. Sakura looked at the owner in confusion.

"What...?"

"You're paying for the bill," he responded, handing her both Hinata and Naruto's bills. When Sakura saw Naruto's bill, her eyes went red in anger.

"NARUTO, YOU FREAK!" she yelled.

0-0

"There you are, bird brain...!" a voice made Sasuke stop walking. He didn't need to look around to figure out who had just spoke to him. There was only one person bold enough to call him that.

"Mayu..." Sasuke rejoined. The said girl jumped from a nearby roof; she stood next to Sasuke.

"I've been expecting you," she said with a grin.

"What for...?" he asked out loud with mild curiosity present in his voice.

"Follow me, and you'll see!" Mayu answered and then dashed down a nearby alley. Sasuke sighed at the girl's actions, but followed her nonetheless.

0-0

Hinata sat under a tree panting lightly. Naruto stood next to her with a confused look on his face. He wanted to wait until Hinata's breathing became regular before asking her a question. The two genin were at the edge of a forest. A small stream was near. Blue eyes looked around the area. It seemed peaceful here. This must have been the spot where they would train. They had certainly traveled far from town. Hinata put a hand over her heart in hopes to calm it down a little. _"That was close," _she thought, sighing._ "__Naruto-kun would have..__."_Uncharacteristically, her eyes narrowed at the grass beneath her.

"Hey, Hinata... why did we run?" Naruto finally asked.

"I am sorry, Naruto-kun," she replied, standing, yet still leaning against the tree. Slowly her gaze drifted up to his eyes. The blond blinked in response. He couldn't recall a time when Hinata actually looked him in the eye. And with such a serious expression, too. "Why, Naruto-kun…?" This only caused more confusion. "Why do you let Sakura-san treat you that way?"

"_Um_…" He rubbed the back of his head, averting his eyes. "That's just how she is."

"Does she act that way with anyone else?"

"Well… not really…"

"…"

"_Uh_…" Well, this was awkward. Hinata seemed to be _glaring_ at him. "Don't worry about it, Hinata. Like she said, I'm used to it."

"Naruto-kun."

"Y-Yes?" Why did he suddenly feel nervous? It was probably her eyes. The Byakugan was an intimidating pair of eyes. Generally Hinata did not use them to instill intimidation, though. In fact, the few times he had seen her eyes change, Mayu had taken control. But he was sure that Mayu was nowhere near him. This was Hinata. Was she upset with him? Crap. He didn't even realize what he did.

"If you continue to allow Sakura-san to hit you and disrespect you, I will be forced to take action," Hinata continued.

"_Eh_?" Naruto squeaked. She frowned. She was dead serious. "Really, Hinata, you don't have to do anything."

"But I _will_."

Cripes, she's been hanging around Mayu way too much. Naruto's eyebrows furrowed. He didn't know a whole lot about the girl, but he was sure Hinata behaving this way now was because of her influence. His blue eyes lowered. Well, technically, he did know her. Mayu had been on his team for awhile. She defended him. She praised him. She had even helped him. Mayu was definitely responsible for the change in Hinata. The assertiveness the Hyuga now showed was admirable. "Hey, Hinata… I know we're… friends and all, but…" Uneasily, Naruto looked back at the kunoichi. "You don't have to go this far. I mean, Sakura-chan is my teammate. This is how our relationship is."

"I have never once hit Kiba-kun or Shino-kun with malicious intent. This relationship you have with her is not normal or healthy. I will not accept it 'this is how our relationship is' because it is wrong."

"Why?"

"Because I _care_ about you, Naruto-kun! I _refuse_ to see you hurt!"

His eyes expanded. He stood there, stunned into silence. That was the first time she had said his name without the usual stutter. Naruto swallowed hard as Hinata continue to stare at him. She did not look away. She did not hide. Her cheeks did not turn red. She was… totally sincere. "Hinata…" Warmth spread through his chest, and he could not understand why. "What you just said…" Was it just him or was his heartbeat in surround sound? The shinobi squeezed his eyes shut. "Thank you. Really, I mean it." Finally, he opened his eyes again. Hinata no longer looked his way. Her gaze was on the ground. A nervous smile tugged at her lips. The familiar redness had returned to her cheeks. Naruto grinned. "Don't worry! Since it upsets you so much, I promise I won't get hurt again!"

"Na-Naruto-kun…" Hinata murmured, feeling embarrassed. She hadn't meant to say all those things. Her cheeks burned. However, she forced herself not to poke her index fingers together. Although she felt like this in front of Naruto, she would not regress completely. Still, it was a relief. Uzumaki Naruto never went back on his promises. Never. She would not have to see such an outrageous thing happen to him again. "Shall we get started then?"

"Oh, oh sure! I guess we can start early. Besides, Sasuke and Mayu probably aren't going to show up for awhile." The grin didn't leave his face. "So tell me what I have to do! I'm ready!"

0-0

"Come on, Sasuke!" Mayu called back. "We're close!"

"_Why_ are we doing this again?" Sasuke asked. Clearly, he was annoyed. The girl in front of him didn't seem to care, though.

"_So_ Naruto and Hinata can get together!" Mayu answered, causing her companion to grumble. She had said that in a tone that made him feel like she was berating him. "And besides, this way Naruto can stop messing with Sakura, leaving her free for you." Sasuke lost his balance after she had said that, and was now falling towards the ground. It took a moment for Mayu to notice. "_Wah_...!" Quickly, the girl stopped hopping through the trees. She jumped down to her fallen friend. When Mayu reached Sasuke, she bent over and frowned. "You are so lucky we were not that high!" she told him. Instead of retorting, he stared with wide eyes from his place on the ground, not bothering to get up.

"Wha-What did you say about Sakura?"

"I said she would be free for you to date her!" Mayu answered. "I didn't know that you would get choked up over that." The strange Hyuga straighten up and turned around. "So then I take it that you really like her?"

"I-I do not!" Sasuke nearly yelped. "Sakura is nothing but my teammate! I was just surprised that you would even think that I-" He stopped, realizing that Mayu returned to staring down at him. He gulped.

"Do you... really mean that?" she asked. "You're not considering making her your girlfriend?"

"After that date you set up—_hell_ no!" Sasuke answered. Mayu narrowed her eyes. Her upper lip twitched.

"Hey, that was a good setup. You just had to go and ruin it with your 'You should train yourself and stop wasting time.' Honestly, you are the rudest person I know."

"And you're the rudest person I know." At last, the shinobi stood, trying not to roll his eyes. Mayu merely crossed her arms and stuck her tongue out. "Point proven."

"No, I'm just slightly immature."

"Still proving that point."

"Shut up, Sasuke!" She uncrossed her arms. This time, the ninja did roll his eyes. "Anyway, we've got a lot of work ahead of us." She began to make hand signs. It was slow, but quicker than the pace she used to have. Well, it did take years to reach the _average_ pace of a ninja. Mayu, herself, wasn't a ninja. "Hinata and Naruto are nearby, so we'll walk the rest of the way." The girl finally made it to the last sign. "Transform!" Smoke shrouded her as her appearance altered. Now, she stood, taller, equipped with dark clothing and a plain white mask. The mask did have purple hair, which went down her back. "How's this?" she asked. "Thuggish enough?"

"You're an idiot," Sasuke replied. He couldn't see her expression, but judging from her pointing finger, she was not happy.

"Just transform, damn you!"

"Whatever…" Sasuke examined the transformed state of Mayu, and then performed the same jutsu, giving him the same appearance. However, the hair attached to his mask was a dark blue. "This good enough for your ridiculous plan?"

"It's not ridiculous!" She crossed her eyes and snapped her head to the side. Again, Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Hey, wait a minute…"

"What is it now?"

"Aren't you supposed to be in _pain_? You landed on your back."

"...Well, now that you mention it..." Sasuke said. The word pain finally registered in his brain. "M-My b-back!" Mayu was about to say something, but decided against it.

_"Sasuke looks like an old person,"_ she thought.

0-0

"Na-Naruto-kun...! Na-Naruto-kun, wake up!" Hinata lightly shook the blond ninja. He had drifted off ten minutes into the mediation. Apparently, he was a heavy sleeper, too. The kunoichi sighed softly. He was still in his meditative position. Hinata slumped back into her sitting position across from him. She, herself, was used to this. Having doing this type of thing since she was very young, it was normal _not_ to fall asleep. However, this was Naruto's first time. Normally a ball of energy, of course he wouldn't last long. "Still, I can't let him sleep." Again, she leaned forward. Her hands were placed on his shoulders. Once, Mayu had done the same thing to her. If she could take it, then surely Naruto could handle it. Squeezing her eyes shut, she began to rapidly and hastily shook his upper body back and forth. His head snapped in resistance to her forceful movements.

After a few moments of this, Naruto finally opened his eyes. He grabbed at the offenders arms, quelling the movements that were beginning to cause dizziness. "H-Hinata…! Why?" The kunoichi squeaked and pulled her arms away. She even scooted back a bit. Naruto blinked, and then shook his head. Then he wiped the drool from his chin. His blue eyes looked around. "What happened?" he asked.

"You fell asleep after ten minutes," Hinata answered. "Sorry, Naruto-kun... I know this exercise is troubling for you, but it will help."

"Oh… No, I should be the one who's sorry. I don't have a lot of patience." Again, he rubbed the back of his head. He chuckled nervously. Hinata giggled a bit. She then cleared her throat.

"Okay… Na-Naruto-kun, instead of trying to erase all thoughts from your mind, how about you try to focus on your surroundings?"

"Huh?"

"I was taught to close myself off. However, with you, perhaps it would be better to open yourself to nature," Hinata explained. "Listen… The birds, the wind, the river. Feel everything around you." His eyebrows scrunched together. But he did nod. His eyes closed. "And try to remain still."

"Hinata, this is going to be harder than I thought. "

"I'm sure you will succeed, Na-Naruto-kun… After all, you are the future Hokage…" His eyes shot open. However, Hinata had averted her gaze again. Naruto grinned, anyway. That didn't sound like teasing to him. Did Hinata really believe he could reach his dream? Man, the longer he spent with her, the better she was becoming. Chuckling to himself, he tried to focus again. But an obnoxious loud voice entered his ears.

"HEY! YOU TWO!"

Naruto and Hinata both looked towards the trees to see two dark figures, standing on a branch. The two ninja blinked in surprise. They were not expecting to see anyone this far out. "Who are you?" Naruto was the one to question. One of the figures jumped down from the tree and into the light.

"I'll be the one asking the questions, brat!" thug one yelled, pointing. "You are in the lands of the Shisaki Brothers!" Thug two jumped down beside thug one.

"That wasn't exactly a question, moron," thug two said.

"Shut up!" thug one hissed.

"And you're a _girl_..." thug two continued. "What a stupid name to come up with."

"Just stick to the script!" thug one bellowed. The masked person turned back to the two ninja. "Anyway, you are hereby trespassing and so, we must _destroy_ you!" However, it would appear the audience was no longer paying attention. They had even started a conversation amongst themselves. "Hey, listen to me!" Suddenly, thug two threw multiple shuriken at Naruto and Hinata.

The shinobi quickly picked up the kunoichi and jumped to a safer location. _"These guys are serious...!" _he thought, glaring at the two thugs. "Hinata, this might get dangerous, so-" Naruto began, but Hinata stopped him from talking.

"I'm going to fight with you," she said.

Naruto grinned at Hinata's warm smile. "Thank you..." he whispered, causing Hinata to look on in confusion. "Let's do this!" he shouted, releasing the kunoichi. Hinata nodded in agreement; she activated her Byakugan.

"Are you just going to stand there and flirt?" thug one yelled. "If you haven't noticed... we're trying to kill you! Get ready!" The two thugs began running at the two genin. "Remember the plan thug two!"

"Whatever... and don't call me that!" thug two responded. Naruto went in front of Hinata and held up a kunai, but the two thugs just flipped over Naruto and began to attack Hinata! Luckily, Hinata went on the defensive and held off their attacks. "So you're stronger than you look, _huh_?" thug two commented, jumping back along with thug one. Thug two began performing multiple hand signs. "Fire Style!" The thug sucked in a breath. "Great Fireball Jutsu!"

Fire shout out and it headed straight for Hinata! Naruto saw this and ran to Hinata, knocking her to the ground. The fire flew over their heads until it disappeared. Naruto slowly stood and then turned a evil looking glare at the two thugs. "How dare you?" he yelled. Thug one took a step back.

"_Um_... perhaps you went a little too far, thug two..." thug one said nervously.

"You're dead!" Naruto snarled.

"This isn't good! Maybe it'd be wise to retreat...?" thug one exclaimed in surprise.

"I told you, moron!" thug two said. "We did this for nothing!"

Naruto didn't hear a word, all he knew was that someone had attacked Hinata... and they must be dealt with. "Enough talk...!" he shouted, doing familiar hand signs. "SHADOW CLONE JUTSU!" Suddenly, about ten more Narutos appeared!

"_Oooh_! We're in trouble!" thug one whined.

"Don't worry, think of it as training," thug two said, and then charge at the Naruto clones.

"Idiot...!" thug one sighed and then followed thug two.

"Everyone, attack...!" Naruto shouted, but thug two went straight for the real Naruto; thug one went straight for Hinata!

_"I know my target,"_ she thought, charging at Hinata. _"__Let's see how far you've come__, __Hinata!__"_ Thug one kicked down a couple of the clones. She was ready to attack Hinata, but what she_ thought _was a clone stood in her way. That was actually the real Naruto, coming to punch her! The hit made thug one fly back a few feet. Thug two saw this happen and jumped to thug one's aid before she hit a tree.

"Are you okay?" he asked, holding thug one bridal style.

"My face feels like it's on fire...!" thug one stated, holding her face. "You definitely made Naruto angry. I think it's time to retreat."

"Yeah, I think Hinata hit me with her Gentle Fist," thug two replied with a nod. He jumped up into a tree.

"You might have won this time, but next time you won't be so lucky!" thug one shouted before the two disappeared in a cloud of smoke. The rest of the Naruto clones disappeared, leaving only one.

"Are you okay, Hinata?" Naruto asked the girl. Hinata fell to her knees, causing Naruto to get on the ground with her. "Hinata...?"

"That was strange..." she whispered. "It felt as if I knew one of them."

"Well, they're gone now!" Naruto stated proudly. "There's no way, I'd let anyone hurt my awesome new friend!" Hinata blushed deeply at his last comment.

0-0

"I'm going to kill Naruto!" Mayu yelled out as he held her face. A bruise was beginning to appear on her cheek. "How did he even cause this much damage when I had a mask on?" The girl was lying on her back.

"Stop your complaining," Sasuke grumbled. "I told you we didn't have to do anything, but you just kept insisting."

"Oh, shut up!" she nearly growled, sitting up. "And, anyway... you said that Hinata hit you?"

"Yeah... my leg kinda stings."

Mayu crawled over to Sasuke, who was sitting under a tree. "Let me see," she said. Sasuke held out his leg, appeasing the girl. She did a few hand signs. "Byakugan...!" Her eyes transformed and they stared down at the injured leg. "_Hm_…"

"What is it...?"

"She made the muscles in your leg tighten," Mayu answered. "Don't worry, they should loosen up later on. But I wouldn't recommend running anytime soon."

"Whatever..." Sasuke responded. Mayu smiled at his reaction, and then she bent over and kissed his leg. "Wha-what was that for?"

"My mom used to do it all the time!" She grinned and gave a peace sign. "Whenever I had a injury, she'd said it'll make it heal faster!"

"You _actually_ believe that?" Sasuke asked, looking away from her. He could feel his face grow warm and he did not want to take the risk of her seeing a possible blush.

"Well... yeah… It's the little things in life, you know," Mayu said. "It's not worth living if you're skeptic and cynical all the time." Without warning, her arm was grabbed. She was pulled close to the ninja. Eyes growing wide, she felt his lips press against her cheek. "_Eh_? S-Sasuke...!" The Uchiha released her. But he did not look her in the eye.

"So... it'll heal faster," he muttered.

"Oh." Mayu, too, looked away. She crawled backwards and sat at the base of a neighboring tree. "_Ah_… Anyway, we should probably wait awhile until your leg muscles loosen before meeting them. Wouldn't want them to get suspicious of our activities." She could feel his stare on her skin, but she did not lock her eyes with his. Her body—it felt weird. Her stomach felt like it had just finished riding a rollercoaster. She swallowed hard, bringing her knees up. She hugged them. _"What's wrong with me?"_ she thought. _"I haven't felt this way since I achieved the next rank in my class…"_ And shouldn't her cheek have stopped tingling by now? It was probably because Sasuke had put pressure on it.

"Mayu."

"_Hm_…?" She lifted her head.

"Did you eat?"

"… How'd you know?"

"Your stomach is growling."

"_Oh_… _Oooh_!" Mayu ignored the confused expression Sasuke was giving her. _"That's why my stomach feels weird. I didn't eat yet," _she thought. The girl sighed. That was a relief. She had almost thought there was something seriously wrong with her. Mayu chuckled. "Maybe we should go back to town and grab a snack?" she asked out loud. "Oh, but your leg."

"I'm not going to run. Let's go." He stood up, shoving his hands in his pockets. Mayu stood up as well. "Hey, by the way, I'll be gone for awhile."

"_Huh_? Mission?"

"Yeah."

"Good luck! You're going to need it!"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Why, Sasuke! Haven't you realized? You're hopeless without me!" A haughty laugh was given. The ninja scoffed. "Since you're leaving, I guess I'll have to do something to pass the time."

"You could try to find out more information on the Ishikari clan," Sasuke suggested. "I'll do the same while I'm outside of the village. Then we'll meet back up to exchange."

"Yes, sir!" Mayu saluted. Sasuke merely shook his head.

0-0


	12. Chapter 12

"Come on, Mayu-san! Wake up!" Hinata said, shaking her 'clone.' "Naruto-kun returned this morning! It is already the _afternoon_!"

"_Ahh_... come on, Hinata! Can't you wait to see your precious Naruto tomorrow?" Mayu whined as she turned over.

"No!" was her hushed shout. "I want to see if Naruto-kun's okay!" Hinata exclaimed. "Anyway, don't you want to see Sasuke-san? I heard he was injured when they brought him back..."

Mayu suddenly bolted up with wide eyes, startling Hinata so much that she fell on her butt. "I remember now!" she exclaimed.

"_Ow_...! What do you remember?" Hinata asked. She looked a bit concerned. Mayu stood up without a word and began pacing around Hinata's room. "Mayu-san...?"

"We've got to get to that hospital," she muttered. "I can't believe that I just made this connection! I'm such an idiot!"

"Mayu-san...? What are you talking about?"

"Come on, let's get ready," she answered.

0-0

"Here, Sasuke-kun, I brought you some apples," Sakura stated, holding a brown bag. The kunoichi was sitting in a chair, which was beside Sasuke's bed. Sasuke, himself, sat up motionless in the bed. The two were in the Leaf village's hospital. The shinobi hadn't said a word since he was placed in the bed. "You don't hate them, do you?" Sakura asked, taking out an apple. "Don't they look delicious?" She smiled, yet her teammate did not answer. Really, she wasn't really expecting him to. Still, she enjoyed his company nonetheless. "Where did I put the knife?" Her eyes looked around. That is when her other teammate entered the room.

"It's right in front of you," Naruto stated. "_Ha_! Being nervous because you're with Sasuke? How uncool!"

"Shut up! It's not like that!" Sakura grumbled, frowning.

_"Naruto...!"_ Sasuke glanced at the blond. His eyes narrowed as his lips formed a frown.

"Would you stop fooling around?" Sakura continued, clearly annoyed with the blond. She bopped him on the head. Well, she would have if he hadn't dodged her fist. "Huh…?"

"Anyway," Naruto annoyed his teammate's reaction. However, at this point, Sasuke was no longer listening. How did this happen? Why couldn't he beat one guy? Yet Naruto did it with no problem. He was slowly getting angry as realization dawned on him.

_"Is Naruto stronger than me?" _The Uchiha swallowed hard. That… That was unacceptable. Naruto couldn't be stronger. _He_ had to be the strongest. He should be the one to defeat anyone. Defeating anyone who challenged him was his goal until he reached him—Uchiha Itachi. Otherwise, he could not fight with his former brother on equal terms. _"__I need more…__!__ I need more power.__"_

"Well, I'm finished peeling it!" Sakura stated, referring to the apple in her hands. "Now, let's cut it so it's easy to eat. Here you go, Sasuke-kun!" She held out the apple slice on a stick. His musings interrupted, Sasuke turned and glared at the pink-haired girl. He slapped the apple out of her hand, causing Sakura to drop the plate because she was so startled. Naruto nearly jumped at the sound. It had pulled him from his own thoughts.

"What the heck?"

"Sasuke-kun...?" Sakura murmured. This sudden violent behavior was something Sasuke did not normally do.

"What's going on?" Naruto asked. The dark-haired shinobi turned and glared at Naruto. "W-What's with the look? You don't have to glare!" Sakura looked back and forth between her teammates, her eyes held confusion.

"Hey, Naruto..." Sasuke said.

"What is it?"

"I want you to fight me."

"Huh? What are you saying? You've just been treated by Granny," Naruto pointed out.

"I don't care! Just fight me!" Sasuke yelled. His advanced bloodline was activated. His teammates' eyes widened in even more confusion. "You think you saved me, don't you?" he continued. "I don't care if she is the Fifth Hokage... Doing unnecessary things...!" Naruto glared at his teammate. The dark-haired boy stood up from his bed and faced the blond. "You said before you wanted to fight me, didn't you?" he asked. "I said I'd fight you right here and now. Are you afraid?" Instead of answering, Naruto frowned.

"S-Sasuke-kun, what's wrong?" Sakura asked, concerned. Her green eyes then turned to Naruto. "Say something, Naruto! Why so suddenly...?" The blond remained quiet, and then he smirked.

"Perfect timing," he finally said. "I was itching to fight you!" The two stared each other down, both of their thoughts were the same, yet different.

"Why don't the both of you just cut it out, okay?" Sakura suggested, trying to calm the boys down.

Both Sasuke and Naruto ignored their third teammate. "Follow me," the Uchiha ordered, and then began to walk away. Sakura watched them go. In this situation she had no idea what to do. This was different from any other time. Both of them seemed too serious. Her shoulders trembled.

"_Sasuke…" _

The boy almost stopped. Why was he suddenly hearing _her_ voice? That tone—that disappointed tone… Why was he imagining something like this? Sasuke lowered his eyes to the floor, trying in vain to block out an image of the strange clone of Hyuga Hinata. Lip twitching, he mental shook the girl from his mind. This wasn't the time to be thinking of her. He had to do this. He had to know for sure which one of them was stronger—himself or Naruto.

0-0

"Stop it!" Sakura screamed towards the two boys. Naruto had the Rasengan out and ready. Sasuke also had his powerful attack out—Chidori. The two shinobi did not listen to their teammate's pleas for them to end their fight.

"I'll definitely win!" Naruto yelled up at Sasuke, who was in mid air.

"Don't be so confident!" he yelled back.

"STOP IT!" The girl rushed forward. The two attacks were closing in on each other—closing in on her. Before the collision could occur and turn the battle into a tragedy, Kakashi appeared to put an end to it. The arms of both Sasuke and Naruto were grabbed. Twisting, the jounin flung his students in opposite directions. Sakura stopped her running in surprised. Naruto sailed through the air towards the water tank. Sasuke went towards another tank.

"What are you guys doing on the roof of the hospital?" Kakashi asked, straightening up. Both Hinata and Mayu stood beside the man. The darker of the two crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. "If you guys are fighting, that's a bit too much, isn't it?"

"Naruto-kun...!" Hinata exclaimed, running over to the blond. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine..." he muttered. The Hyuga frowned. Naruto had sounded awfully bitter.

Meanwhile, Sasuke was struggling to get his arm free. He finally yanked his arm out and because of that, water flowed out of the massive hole that Sasuke had made. He looked up to see that Naruto had made a hole as well, but it was very tiny. He grinned slightly, and then frowned when he saw Hinata helping him stand. "Were you planning to kill Naruto, Sasuke?" Kakashi asked. Sasuke looked up to see Kakashi and Mayu on the water tank that he had made the huge hole in. Kakashi was sitting and Mayu stood. The girl looked down at him, disappointment in her eyes. It was the same look he had imagined just before this fight took place. "What are you so angry about?" Kakashi continued. Sasuke didn't answer, he just looked at the ground.

_"Don't __look at me like that__," _he thought.

"Chidori is not something that you should use against your comrades," Kakashi stated. Sakura looked back and forth between her teammates. Still she held the scared look on her face. "Why are you acting like a child?"

Meanwhile, Naruto and Sasuke started glaring at each other again. "_Hmph_..." Sasuke said, and then jumped up and flipped over the fence of the hospital's roof. He landed on a nearby shack.

"Sasuke-kun..." Sakura muttered.

Something made Sasuke look up. His eyes spotted the real damage Naruto had caused. The back of the water tank that he slammed into was completely blown out. The Uchiha clenched his teeth. Then he slammed his fist into the wall. "Damn it!" he cursed. Compared to that, his attack power was minuscule. "Naruto... How far have you come?" Sasuke was about to jump away, but a hand grabbed his wrist. His eyes shot open.

"What do you think you're doing?" Mayu stood in front of him. Unlike before, her expression was unreadable. However, she was obviously angry. If the increasing pressure on his wrist was any indication, she was definitely not happy.

"What do _you_ want?" Sasuke snatched his arm away. For awhile, she didn't reply. She only continued to stare into his eyes. The Uchiha almost took a step back. Her gaze shouldn't have bugged him this much. Finally, the girl opened her mouth. She let out a heavy sigh. She turned her back to him.

"Come with me," she said, and then leapt away. Sasuke frowned before following after her.

0-0

"Well, are you going to talk or not?" Sasuke finally asked after of few minutes of waiting. The two were in a large tree somewhere in town. The ninja was sitting down on the wide branch, while Mayu stood not facing him. "Mayu, why did you bring me out here?"

"You know…" she began. "I'm surprised. With all the things that have happened so far, I didn't believe you would still become this way."

"What are you talking about?" he asked. He noticed that her head lowered a bit. She sighed. "Mayu… What happened was between me and Naruto. This doesn't concern you."

"It does."

"It doesn't!"

Finally, she turned. "It does." Mayu narrowed her eyes and frowned. She sucked in a breath and licked her lips. "This behavior you're showing against your own teammate—it's hateful. Do you want me to hate _you_?" Sasuke's eyes expanded. His throat felt like it was constricting. He couldn't answer her let alone _speak_. For a moment, her eyes averted. "You never answered Kakashi-sensei's question. Were you trying to _kill_ Naruto?"

"... No..." Sasuke finally murmured.

"Then why?" Mayu asked.

"To see which one of us is stronger." Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Is that all you wanted to know?" The girl dropped down on her knees in front of him. An inaudible gasp was almost choked out. Mayu continued to move closer, unaware of what she was doing to Sasuke. She continued to crawl forward. Her hands were on either side of his legs. Did she have no sense of personal space? "Da-Damn it, Mayu! This isn't funny!"

"Why are you suddenly doubting your abilities?" she questioned, ignoring his discomfort. "And measuring them with Naruto?"

"I… I…" Mayu still hadn't moved away from him. She had yet to look away either.

"Did something happen on this mission?" Mayu asked. Sasuke could only nod his head. To his relieve, the girl finally sat back on her folded legs. "And I'm assuming that Naruto was the one to beat the bad guy? Why does it affect you so much? Shouldn't you be _happy_ that Naruto is strong enough?"

"You weren't there!" His fists clenched. "I couldn't do anything. Naruto was stronger." His head dropped as his eyes looked down at the bark of the tree. "I'm still so… _weak_." His eyes squeezed shut. "I won't be able to—I won't be stronger than Itachi at my current progression."

Suddenly, Sasuke felt Mayu's hand on his cheek. Once again, his eyes shot open. Slowly, he lifted his head. Mayu wore such a solemn expression. The Uchiha lowered his eyelids a bit. He wasn't glaring. He was remembering. She had done this before. When Gaara's taunts were getting to him—overwhelming him—Mayu had touched him like this and had calmed him down. Why was she so good at this? "I won't pretend that I know what you're going through because I have no idea," she said. "I don't know what it's like to want to kill a family member because they murdered everyone I held dear. I don't know what it like to even _think_ of killing another person at such a young age. I don't know what's going through your head when it comes to your ultimate goal."

"Mayu—your revenge-"

"Is unlike yours," she interrupted. "The man I want dead is a stranger. The man you want dead is someone you know and used to love." Sasuke's eyes knitted together. "You _loved_ him and he… destroyed that." Her hand left his cheek. "So I can't understand or pretend to understand what you feel." Mayu sighed lightly. "But you don't need to doubt yourself because I know that someday you will reach your goals. You have something Itachi doesn't have."

"And what would that be?" Sasuke frowned. Mayu had said so herself. He wasn't _fit_ to fight his brother.

"Me, of course," she replied. His shoulders tensed and so did his heart. Sasuke swallowed hard. "And Naruto. And Sakura. And other comrades and friends." Mayu stood up. She grabbed a couple of small twigs from the tree. She handed one of them to Sasuke. "Here, break this." The ninja raised a brow, but did as told. The skinny branched snapped. "Now, break all these." She gave him a bundle of twigs. "Break them all in one go." Still confused, Sasuke shrugged. Mayu sat back down across from him. Her eyebrows rose, waiting for him to do the task. Scoffing, the Uchiha tried and failed to break every single one. "Revenge doesn't have to be a one-person thing." His dark eyes shifted back to her. "When there are others backing you up, it doesn't matter how strong you are. They're there to help you and watch your back."

"No… They wouldn't understand!" Sasuke protested.

"So what?" Mayu asked. "We're _friends_. I don't need to understand why you want Itachi's life to end. He hurt you, and as your friend, I will help to bring him down. I'm sure Naruto feels the same way. Just let us."

"_Mayu…"_ Sasuke thought. _"No matter what you say… I don't want you involved. Definitely not you."_

"Anyway, I'm going now," Mayu mumbled. She blinked, and then turned her eyes up. "Oh right…" The girl reached into her pocket. She pulled out a small heart-shaped frame. "The pictures were finally developed." She handed him the frame. "I don't know what but the guy thought we were a couple and decided to put it in this. The nerve of some people, right?" Sasuke reached up and grabbed the frame. "See you tomorrow?"

"Whatever…" He shifted his gaze away. He did not see the frown on Mayu's face.

She backed away, turned, and then jumped from the tree. She glanced back, hoping that something she had said had gotten through to him. Her lips pressed together. The sun was already beginning to set. How long was she talking to him, anyway? _"Sasuke, selfish as it seems, I don't want you to leave. All the progress that you've gone through—please don't let that go to waste."_ This was the time, she knew. The time where everything changed. Throwing her into the mix caused altercations to occur. Maybe… Things wouldn't have to go horribly wrong this time around.

Unknown to her, four narrowed pairs of eyes watched her go before shifting back to Uchiha Sasuke.

0-0

Blue Hyuga eyes stared out of the window. As she thought, Mayu could not sleep peacefully like her counterpart could. The girl hugged her knees and averted her gaze to the tatami floor. Her eyelids lowered. There was no way she could sleep. Every time she closed her eyes, she could only see Sasuke and the hateful expression he wore. It was the same as if had been. This whole time—had she been truly powerless to change anything? Only time would tell. Still, the thought of Sasuke leaving for the Sound caused her stomach to churn. Once again, her eyes looked towards the sky. It was beginning to show signs of morning light. _"If I truly can't change anything, then I should probably… spend as much time with him as I can… before he becomes a traitor,"_ Mayu thought.

She sighed loudly, and then stood up. Her arms stretched up. Her back cracked in several places. She twisted her torso. A few more things popped. She stretched down, touching her toes. Then she cracked her knuckles. A groan from Hinata reached her ears, causing her to turn. "M-Mayu-san…? What are you doing up this early?" The cute Hyuga rubbed her right eye, and then yawned. Liquid squeezed out of the corner of her eyes.

"Sorry," Mayu replied. "I didn't mean to wake you."

"Is something troubling you?" Hinata asked. She crawled over. "You didn't get any sleep, did you?" Slowly, she shook her head. "Is this about Sasuke-san?"

"Yeah…" Mayu sat down. "It is." There was no point in lying to Hinata. Over the duration of her stay, the two of them had become something akin to _best_ friends. The Hyuga could read her like a book. And vice-versa. "I'm going to Sasuke's."

"This early?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"I'll come, too."

"Why?"

"Because I want to," Hinata answered. She stood up and moved to get ready. Mayu stared at her. She blinked several times before grinning. Oh Hinata…! She had grown so much. She was now more determined and assertive than before. Mayu supposed that was the work of the forceful training she had put her through. Not to mention, she had been hanging around Naruto more than she usually would have.

Within ten minutes, both girls had changed and were out walking. The Uchiha district was far away from everyone else, so it would take another fifteen minutes to reach it. By now, the sky's dark blue had faded to a light blue. Birds were chirping. Leaves were blowing. And Mayu was a bit agitated. No sleep combined with the sounds of morning was not a good thing to mix. She wanted to strangle those damn birds. Hinata had politely told her Neji wouldn't appreciate such a thing. Then they had shared a laugh about her cousin's weird fascination with birds.

"So what did you and Naruto talk about yesterday?" Mayu asked. As expected, Hinata's cheeks were stained red at the mention of the blond shinobi. Her strange twin chuckled and shook her head. "I don't mean like that. I meant if Naruto felt that Sasuke's behavior was strange, too."

"Oh… Well, Na-Naruto-kun said that there was nothing to worry about," Hinata responded. "However…" Her pale eyes turned to the ground. "I believe he said that in order to bring comfort to Sakura-san. Truly, I feel that Na-Naruto-kun is trying to deny what happened because he does not want to believe that Sasuke-san would fight him with the intent to kill."

"_Hm_… I see," Mayu muttered. "So you saw the killer intent, too, then?" Hinata nodded her head and frowned. "I don't know why he reacted that way, but I think it's just jealous, Hinata. Sasuke doesn't want to _kill_ Naruto. Being angry and jealous is a bit like killer intent, so… they could be mixed up sometimes." She said this to put her own mind at ease. However, it was plausible. Hinata did not give a retort. But her eyebrows furrowed as if she wanted to. From then on, they walked in silence. Finally, they reached the entrance of the Uchiha district. "We're here." With a sigh, Mayu continued to look forward.

Honestly, she hated coming here. The entire area was so empty, desolate, and cold. How could Sasuke still live here? If it were her, she would have moved away. At least then she wouldn't have a constant reminder of what happened that night. Mayu frowned. Sasuke's miserable past—he shouldn't have had to go through it alone. It was no wonder why, until she came along, he felt completely alone and didn't need anyone. But did it help? She would have rather meant him earlier on. If she had, perhaps she wouldn't feel so uncertain about whatever decision Sasuke would choose.

Mayu slid the door open and walked inside. Hinata followed her, looking around nervously. She wasn't used to entering someone else's home. "Sasuke, I'm here! I brought Hinata, too! I hope you're decent!" Instead of the usual angry reply, only silence greeted her in return. "_Hm_… He's probably still sleeping," she said. "I did come super early." Mayu slipped her shoes off and went further into the home. Uneasily, Hinata did the same. For some reason, she was getting a bad feeling from being here. Mayu didn't seem to notice. Quickly, she located Sasuke's room. Without warning, she slid the door open. The room was without its sleeping occupant. "Oh…"

"_Mm_… Perhaps he is out training?" Hinata suggested.

"Probably, but he would've left a note," Mayu replied. Her eyes darted around the room. However, it was Hinata that found the note and pointed it out. It was on his desk under the small heart-shaped frame she had given to him only yesterday. _"Why is it face__-__down like that?"_ she thought. There was another frame—a normal one—face-down in the same manner. Mayu lifted the squared frame. Her eyes widen. It was his team picture. However, there was a difference. In this picture, Sakura's hair was dyed with a dark color. She remembered the memory quite well. Naruto did not want to take a picture with his new team member, Sasuke. However, in the end, they did take a pretty good picture. She had stood in the middle. Just as the camera did its thing, she had grabbed on to both shinobi by the neck and pulled them closer. Both had surprised expressions on their faces while she had been winking. Kakashi stood behind them, smiling, with his palms on her head. _"I thought the picture was redone once Sakura had returned to her body…" _That's what Sasuke had told her, so why did he still have this?

Shrugging, she made the frame stand on its own before turning her attention to the smaller frame. After righting its position, she took the note, which was folded down the middle. It had her name written on it. Quickly, she scanned over the words, wanting to find the location of his training right away. She didn't know why, but Sasuke liked to write a lot just to tell her where he was. However, there was not any location on the note. Furrowing her eyebrows, Mayu read it over again. Her eyes expanded, stunned at the message. Not only was it short—and didn't tell her where he was—but it was also a goodbye.

The folded paper fell from her fingers. Hinata questioned her actions, yet the girl did not say anything. The kunoichi walked over, and then picked up the message. "_Hm_… 'I'm sorry. If you're reading this… it means I'm no longer in the Leaf village. My path is vengeance and despite what you said, I won't bring anyone else down this path with me.' Sasuke-san wrote this?" Her pale eyes turned to her friend. The girl's shoulders trembled. "Did Sasuke-san really-?"

"That son of a—_argh_!" Mayu snarled. "I'll kick his ass for this!"

"Please calm yourself," Hinata tried. However, Mayu smacked her hand away.

"I will _not_ calm down!" she shouted. The Hyuga narrowed her eyes. "He left me without _personally_ saying goodbye? I won't forgive him—the coward!"

0-0

"In that case, please act like a leader and make a pl-" Neji stopped whatever he was going to say and looked towards the town.

"Hey, Neji, why did you stop?" Naruto asked.

"Someone is coming this way," he answered. The rest of the shinobi turned and saw someone was indeed coming their way and quite fast, too. "What is that?"

"It looks like a cloud of dust to me," Naruto said, squinting his eyes.

"Idiot..." Kiba said, frowning.

"Hey, that's... _um_... Hinata!" Naruto exclaimed. "She's come to wish me off!"

"Yeah, right!" Kiba said. Finally, the girl reached the five boys. Hinata was panting heavily. Her hands were on her knees when the dust settled.

**Hinata, I didn't tell you to run so fast!**

_"Sorry, Mayu-san... __But you are obviously upset__," _Hinata thought. _"I wish to aid you."_

"Hinata!" Naruto called. "You came to tell me good luck?"

"Naruto-kun, I did not come to tell you good luck," the girl stood up straight. "I will come as well." The eyes of all five boys widened in surprise. Even so, Shikamaru and Neji already had an answer. They both opened their mouths to speak...

"Yeah, you can come!" Naruto answered for the group, causing Hinata's eyes to brighten.

"_Uh_... _excuse_ me," Shikamaru said. "Who died and made you leader?"

"Well, she wants to come!" Naruto exclaimed. Shikamaru ignored the blonde's statement and turned to the female Hyuga.

"I'm sorry, Hinata, but you are _not_ coming," he stated. Little did he know, Hinata had already traded places with Mayu. "This mission could become quite dangerous."

"So what you're saying is..." Mayu began. Her eye twitched. Naruto seemed to be the only one to notice this.

_"That can't be Hinata," _he thought. _"It looks like she's about to explode!__ Mayu must…__"_

"You're saying that... because I'm a _girl_... I'm not strong enough for this mission?" Mayu asked.

"Uh... well, I wouldn't put it like _that_," Shikamaru said. The girl smiled pleasantly at him.

"Oh, I see..." she said. She walked forward until she was in front of the newly appointed chuunin. "Shikamaru, I'm going to say this once... and I really hope you get the message. If you don't allow me to go on this mission..." She moved her face closer to his so that only he could hear what she was about to say. "I am _going_ to Gentle Fist your lazy ass into next week! And when you get there, I'll be right there and _bitch slap_ your ass back! Got it?"

Shikamaru blinked, and then sighed. "This is such a drag," he muttered. "Fine, you can come along. Your fight with Neji was impressive. Surely you've gotten stronger since then." The girl rapidly nodded her head. Shikamaru scoffed. "Troublesome…"

_"Split personalities...?"_ Neji thought, looking at his cousin. _"Is it possible...?"_

Shikamaru coughed to get everyone's attention. "Until I say, we are on the offense," he said. "That means, it would be easy for the enemy to make the first move. That's why, in order to protect against the enemy's random attacks, I will be deciding the formation."

_"I wonder how the formation will change now that we're here," _Mayu thought, folding her arms.

"If you ignore me and act on your own... everyone will die," Shikamaru continued, looking grim. "The formation will be a line. The forerunner, who has the most important and crucial task... Kiba, that's you. Every year you travel with Akamaru, and you know the geography and terrain of the Fire Country very well. Your nose works pretty well... Not only can you follow Sasuke from his scent, you will be able to detect the enemy's booby traps easily. Suppose there's an attack from the front. Since you are with Akamaru, you'll be alright even if you are isolated." He continued on. However, she only paid close attention when he looked her way. "The fourth will be Hinata. By using your Byakugan, you'll be able to warn Naruto and the person behind you about any approaching danger," Shikamaru stated. "Also, you could help Naruto in times of danger. I know you always carry around medicines and bandages with you, so you will be in charge of helping the injured." Mayu nodded her head in understanding. "Behind, Hinata will be Chouji. You don't have speed, but you have the most physical power because of your size. Although it may be awkward, Kiba, Naruto, Hinata, and I are going to use you as a base, as in home base." Shikamaru turned to the last member of the team. "The last is Neji. I will ask you to do the most difficult and complicated task. Using your Byakugan, you'll be able to scan and check the area, like Hinata, but you will be the eyes of us all."

_"The formation only changed a little..." _Mayu thought. Shikamaru pulled a scroll and pencil out of his pocket.

"Here, let me show you," he said, drawing on the paper. "Make sure that you are in this order." He showed the paper to his teammates. "Kiba as forward, myself as the backup forward, Naruto as left, Hinata as left and up; just in case, Chouji as right, and Neji, I ask you to use your Byakugan to scan the back area. And I would like to check the armaments that you guys have," Shikamaru finished roll up the scroll. "Please let me see what each of you have. And I will remember it. Do you guys have any questions?" Naruto shook his no, answering for everyone else. "And finally, this is the most important thing that I have to say. "I don't have a deep attachment to Sasuke. Nor is he someone that I like," Shikamaru said. "But, he is one of the Leaf village's shinobi, a comrade," Shikamaru continued. "That is why we risk our lives to save him. This is the Leaf's view. Even though I don't like doing troublesome things... I am responsible for your lives."

"Now you're starting to sound more like a chuunin," Kiba said.

"I agree," Mayu said.

"Once I check your equipment, we will go," Neji said. "Everyone, take out your accoutrements." Everyone did as they were told, even though Neji wasn't the leader.

_"I always knew that this was going to happen," _Mayu thought, letting Neji check Hinata's things._ "But that bird brain could've at least said goodbye before he left. And now he's gonna suffer...! Damn it, Sasuke!"_

"Alright, let's go," Shikamaru announced. They group of six walked towards the exit.

"Wait...!" a voice shouted, making everyone's head turn.

"Sakura-chan...!" Naruto blurted out, surprised at her appearance.

"I heard the story from Hokage-sama," Shikamaru said. "Sorry, but I can't bring you on this mission. Even you weren't able to convince Sasuke, were you? All that's left is for us to force him to understand. Sakura, _your_ chance is over." Sakura bowed her head and said not a word.

"That means... You and Sasuke..." Naruto trailed off, glancing at Mayu. The girl refused to meet his gaze. Instead, she frowned. Suddenly, tears streamed from Sakura's eyes.

"Naruto..." she began, her voice cracked. "I beg of you, please bring him... Please bring back Sasuke-kun! I couldn't do it... I couldn't stop him. The only thing left that could stop Sasuke-kun is-"

_**SMACK**_

Mayu had walked right up to Sakura and smacked her across her face. Everyone was stunned at the girl's action. Sakura was in shock, too. Her head was still turned to the side. "Hinata...!" Kiba and Shikamaru said in unison. The others were just too stunned to say anything. Naruto only bowed his head.

"How _dare_ you?" Mayu tried to keep the hiss from her voice. Pale eyes glared at the pink-haired kunoichi. Sakura slowly turned her head back. She covered up her red cheek with the palm of her hand.

"Hinata...?" she muttered, confused.

"You couldn't do anything, and yet you're trying to make Naruto _promise_ to bring him back?" Mayu said. "Don't be so pathetic, Sakura. Sasuke left willingly. Don't you dare try to make Naruto promise to bring back a _traitor_!" The word 'traitor' caused a few gasps to come forth. Mayu shook her head and gave a mirthless chuckle. "You know, I used to support your feelings for Sasuke. I thought that maybe he would open up to you if you two actually went on a date. But no, he didn't, and I know why now. You are not the one he needs." She narrowed her eyes. "You couldn't stop him and now you're crying and begging _someone else_ to do it for you? You're _definitely_ not the girl for Sasuke."

"YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO SAY THAT!" Sakura yelled. She knew who she was talking to was Mayu and not Hinata. More tears fell. "I… I love Sasuke-kun!" She sniffled. "It hurts so much to know that he left!" Instead of pitying the girl or her tears, Mayu sneered.

"You don't love him," she said.

"Wh-What?" Sakura's green eyes stared in shock at the Hyuga.

"Tell me, Sakura." She crossed her arms. "Do you really know him? Do you know what he does when he's embarrassed? Do you know what he does in his free time? Have you ever heard him talk about things other than getting stronger? Have you ever heard him laugh—not a chuckle—I mean, full blown out laughter? To the point where he can't stop? Do you know how vulnerable he looks sometimes when he's sleeping?" Sakura didn't answer any of those questions. "How can you love someone that you don't know?"

"Ho-How _could_ I know…?" Fists clenched at her sides, Sakura shouted in anger. "_You're_ always with him!"

"I'm not," Mayu stated. "And even if I was always with him all the time, you should have been more persistent." She finally turned her back on the kunoichi.

"Yo-You…!" More tears streamed down Sakura's cheeks. However, by this time, Hinata had taken control of her own body.

"Please do not use Naruto-kun the way you do," Hinata said. "Treating him unfairly—Sakura-san, you do not have the right to."

"Hinata…" Naruto blinked in surprised.

"Everyone… Everyone is risking their lives on this mission. Please do not only think of Sasuke-san," the Hyuga continued. Sakura wrapped her arms around herself and continued to cry. Guilt and shame bubbled up within her, replacing the anger she had felt towards Mayu. The pink-haired kunoichi choked out an apology before dashing away.

"Oi…!" Naruto whispered, walking over to the heiress. "Are you sure that wasn't a little harsh?"

"It needed to be said, Naruto-kun..." Hinata answered. She turned and smiled at the blond shinobi. Naruto blushed slightly, and then smiled himself. He shook his head a bit, and then raised his fist to the sky.

"All right! Let's go!" Naruto shouted.

"We've lost a bit of time," Shikamaru said. "Let's go..." he ordered, walking out of the gates of the village. Everyone followed soon after.

**So it's begun****... Sasuke...**

0-0


	13. Chapter 13

Shikamaru peered through the bushes at the Sound Four. He saw that they were still resting. "Seems like they haven't noticed yet," he said. After who knows how long they traveled, hoping from tree to tree, the group of Leaf ninja finally encountered the Sound ninja that had taken Uchiha Sasuke. The leader of the Leaf forces had come up with a plan to carry out the mission. If possible, Shikamaru wanted to avoid conflict. He looked around, but did not see Sasuke anywhere. "Huh? Sasuke isn't around."

"He's in that barrel," Mayu muttered, she had the Byakugan activated. Awhile back, she had taken Hinata's place. For what reason, she couldn't remember it right now. At the moment, her senses were focused on the four ninja she was spying on from the cover of the bushes. She and Chouji were beside Shikamaru while the others were at other positions. Within her chest, her heart beat rapidly. This was dangerous, yet necessary in order to reach Sasuke. Mayu's eyes narrowed. She swallowed hard. "He's not moving."

"Is he dead?" Shikamaru asked with wide eyes.

"Don't be hasty," Mayu told him. "The enemy wouldn't take him just to kill him. No, he's definitely still alive. However, I can't really tell why he's not moving. There's a barrier surrounding the barrel, I can barely see through it."

"That might be true," he muttered.

Suddenly, one of the members of the Sound Four stood, throwing a kunai towards the spot where he and Mayu were hiding. Apparently, they had been discovered. Shikamaru's eyes widen as the kunai embedded into a nearby tree. "It's a bomb!" Mayu shouted, noticing the explosive tags attached to the kunai. "Everyone move!" She, along with Shikamaru and Chouji jumped away just as the tag exploded. However, the force behind the explosion sent the three sprawling in a different direction. They slid to a stop right in front of the, now standing, Sound Four. "Well… this is awkward..." Mayu muttered as she stood. Her comrades slowly did the same.

"What's this?" The one who had thrown the dangerous kunai sounded too smug for her tastes. Mayu glared in response. If she remembered correctly, he was Sakon. Didn't he have a brother? "I thought they were snakes, but they were nothing more than insects." Twitching, Mayu found it hard to control her mouth. Being called an insect was not cool. She had an near uncontrollable to backhand Sakon, dangerous opponent or not.

**Please control yourself, Mayu-san! **

_"I'll try my best..."_ she thought, forcing the glare from her face. The biggest member of the Sound Four, Jirobo or Jirobu might have been his name, changed into an attacking position. His movement caused Shikamaru to go on the defensive.

"Wait, wait!" he exclaimed, putting his hands up to show he meant no harm. "We aren't here to fight! Rather, we're here to negotiate." That's when the abnormally armed shinobi, Kidomaru, chuckled.

"Then what are these?" he questioned, flinging his arms.

…

"What are _what_?" Mayu slowly asked, not seeing anything.

"Yeah, I don't see anything either," Chouji commented.

"Just wait...!" Kidomaru nearly hissed while glaring. On late cue, the sounds of yelling could be heard. Out of the bushes came Kiba, Neji, and Naruto. The three seemed to be attached to some type of string. Kidomaru had been the one pulling them. Suddenly, Kiba somehow flipped and threw a smoke bomb. Smoke filled the entire area, so now neither team could see one another. Kidomaru laughed as the smoke started to clear. "What was the point of that smoke bomb?" he asked, still chuckling. "You can't escape from me! These are better than wires. They are thinner, more durable, and almost impossible to see. I'll be able to take care of you guys with this wire."

"You just said that it wasn't wire," Mayu remarked.

"Shut up!"

The smoke fully cleared, showing that Neji, Kiba, and Naruto were on the ground, while Chouji, Mayu, and Shikamaru were standing. The leader's plan hadn't gone smoothly. He didn't think there would be someone with that kind of ability. The chuunin grimaced. This was troublesome on so many levels. They had been found out too fast. He would need to quickly think of another plan to get out of this dangerous situation. Half of the team was already, basically, captured. Well… There was always the second half of the plan. The enemy still hadn't noticed. That was good. "Well, aren't they a gay and merry bunch of insects," Sakon commented. This, of course, infuriated one of his subordinates. Hinata had certainly changed since the last time he saw her.

"You're the only one here who's gay!" she shouted, pointing a finger at the one who had insulted the team.

"Quit it with the comments, Hinata!" Shikamaru ordered. Mayu pouted, but didn't say anything else.

"I'll deal with you bastards!" Kidomaru stated. He looked as if he was going to move, but he didn't. "What is this? My body can't..."

**So Shikamaru's plan did work****,**** after all...**

"Nice, Kiba, Shikamaru!" Naruto grinned. "Shadow Possession Jutsu has succeeded!" Shikamaru's shadow did, indeed, stretch to all the members of the Sound Four.

"Thank you very much for falling into our trap," Shikamaru said.

"This could be bad. However..." Sakon stated began. Mayu cringed. "I have _this _kind of ability." Without warning, three shuriken came flying towards Shikamaru from behind. The shadow user didn't notice it coming. When he did, it was already too late. He had managed to dodge one, but two of the shuriken had pierced his flesh. Because of this, the chuunin lost his concentration on his jutsu.

"Earth Style Barrier: Earth Dome Prison!" Jirobo mumbled, and then he slammed his hands on the ground. Suddenly, the Earth itself rumbled and started forming around the six members of the Leaf team.

_"Well, this can't be good..."_ Mayu thought as the ground covered them in a half sphere. No sunlight could get through. The six were left in the dark.

"Damn it!" Shikamaru said frowning. "We're in that big guy's prison." After that, the members started looking for a way out. However, they weren't getting anyway. Naruto had become impatient. He banged his fist against the dirt wall.

"Hey, let me out!" he shouted. "Damn it!"

"You're too noisy, Naruto!" Kiba told the blond.

Naruto was about to retort, but Hinata walked towards him. "He's right, Na-Naruto-kun. It won't help if you shout," she said softly. The blond shinobi sighed and tried to keep quiet at his the Hyu's request. Hinata had switched places with Mayu because the girl had almost done the same thing... except she was going to do it to Naruto's head. Fearing for his life, Hinata had quickly switched.

"From what I see, these are just normal walls made out of dirt," Neji commented touching the dirt wall.

"It's their technique. There must be a trick behind it," Shikamaru said, looking around the prison.

"I don't know what it's all about, but it looks like we'll have to break out," Kiba stated.

**Oh, yeah! Prison Break!**

_"I'm just going to ignore you..."_ Hinata thought.

**That would probably be best at this point.**

"It's dangerous to move carelessly, but as you said, to sit around doing nothing is even more dangerous," Shikamaru pointed out.

"Piercing Fang!" Kiba suddenly shouted, jumping up. He then twirled around and ended up looking like a small twister. The dog shinobi then drilled through the wall, causing dust to pick up. Everyone covered their eyes until they heard Kiba stop drilling. Fortunately, Kiba made a hole in the dirt wall. Unfortunately, the wall started healing itself. The damage he had managed to cause was for naught.

**Please tell me that did not just happen…**

"The wall just... recovered completely..." Hinata stated, narrowing her eyes.

"What do we do?" Naruto yelled out. His voice echoed throughout the prison.

"Looks like it is not a normal dirt wall, after all," Neji remarked.

"I... I want to see it," Hinata said. "Byakugan!" Her cousin had also activated his advanced bloodline.

"This is..." Neji said sounding shocked.

"What?" Shikamaru asked. "What is it?"

"This is really bad..." Neji muttered looking at his hands.

"He's right..." Hinata said. "Our chakra... is being sucked away," Hinata said. The shocked looks of her teammates told her that they were as much concerned as she was.

"Even though I didn't think they would just leave us alone in here, I didn't expect them to drain our chakra," Kiba said. All was quiet after Kiba's comment until Naruto's outburst.

"Quit fooling around and get us outta here!" he yelled loudly. Neji, Chouji, Kiba, and Hinata sat down.

"This isn't good, my body is already starting to feel weak," Hinata said.

"Same here..." Kiba muttered, panting lightly.

"My strength feels like its draining away," Naruto said also sitting down.

"This isn't looking good, Shikamaru..." he stated.

"I didn't expect to get caught before we even found out the enemies' abilities," Shikamaru said. "I was careless. And also, inside here..."

Once again, Kiba tried to bust out. He even resorted to using Akamaru. However, their efforts were in vain. The wall continued to repair itself. Even the floor of their prison recovered after having damage inflicted upon it. No matter how many times the two went at the dome, it continued, time and time again, to recover. It was at this point that Mayu began feeling irritated. She didn't know or care how they eventually got out of the dome. But right now, she wanted—needed—to do something other than sit on her rear end, waiting. Before Hinata knew it, Mayu had taken control of her body.

**What are you planning?**

"I'm disobeying that traitor," her remark was met with confused expression. Mayu ignored them, though, in favor of standing. Her hands came together. The others recognized the combination for the Clone Jutsu. They did not understand why Hinata would waste anymore of her chakra on such a jutsu. A clone of the heiress came into existence. However, like in her match with Neji, the clone was different.

_"That clone...!" _Neji thought, eyes widening. He didn't have a very good time the last time that clone had appeared.

"Mayu-san, why did you do that?" Hinata asked.

"Yeah, aren't you supposed to be a secret, or something?" Naruto said, pointing.

"I've always wanted to know why your clone was so strange, Hinata," Shikamaru said, staring at the darker version of the Hyuga. "Now I know. She's not a clone at all. She's a different person, isn't she?"

"Shut up for now, leader." Mayu turned her back on the group. "Just wait until I get us out of here." She narrowed her eyes. Her mouth opened wide. "HEY, FATASS! DON'T YA KNOW THAT EATING CHAKRA WILL MAKE YOU FATTER!" she screamed. Kiba, as well as Naruto clutched their ears.

"What the hell are you doing, Mayu?" Naruto yelled at the girl.

"Shut up!" Mayu said. "CAN YA HERE ME, FATASS? WHY WON'T YOU ANSWER?"

"Interesting... whoever the girl is... you've got the same mouth as Tayuya," Jirobo called back. Mayu turned her head slightly. "Ladies shouldn't talk that way... Even if they are trash."

_"Got you, bitch!"_ she thought. Mayu walked over to the place where she heard the enemy's voice come from. _"Not only do I know that you're alone, but I know where you are, too."_

"Hinata said your name was Mayu, right? What are you doing?" Shikamaru asked the strange twin. Instead of answering, Mayu slammed her hands together. If this didn't work, she would explain later. However, if it did work… That brought on a whole lot of other questions. Whilst Team 7 was on their last mission, Sasuke had told her to find more information on the Ishikari clan. She found it, alright. But it was the clan's jutsu. She never got the chance to give Sasuke the information, but that didn't mean she hadn't thought about it.

Mayu swallowed hard as she closed her eyes. She had memorized the combination of the hand signs she had found. Why? She was bored out of her mind. Hopefully, learning the hand signs could get them out of this mess. The girl began performing the combination of hand signs, trying and praying to get it right. "Mono... rata... zorro, dragón, gallo, caballo, mono, puerco, conejo... OVEJA!" Mayu finished, opening her eyes. The last sign, which was the ram, was thrust in the direction of the wall in front of her.

_"I recognize the hand signs, but I can't understand a word she's saying,"_ Neji thought. _"Could this be... _her_...?"_

_"Time to see if this works,"_ Mayu thought. "El estilo de Ishikari: ¡El interruptor del Cuerpo Jutsu!" she yelled. What she said was roughly translated to Ishikari Style: Mind Transfer Jutsu. However, the instructions were in a different language from this one. Again, hoping it worked, Mayu waited. And then, she collapsed. The surrounding people blinked before their eyes turned to Hinata.

"You have a lot of explaining to do, Hinata-sama," Neji stated. The kunoichi blushed bright red.

_"Mayu-san, why do you do this to me?" _she thought.

"_Ugh_…" Mayu sat up and rubbed her head. "How did I get in here?" Now, the others were really confused.

Meanwhile, outside of the Earth prison, Mayu, in the body of Jirobo stepped away from the dome. She couldn't believe. The jutsu she had attempted actually worked. This was just like the time she was Sakura. She had gone into the body of Haku. Hazel eyes narrowed. "Does this mean I am a part of that clan?" Mayu murmured. She shook her head. That couldn't be it. She was from a different _dimension_. Or, at least, a different time period. She couldn't be. Actually, if she thought about it, she _could_ be a descendant. Or maybe even a reincarnation of one of the members. It could happen.

"_Ahhh_! I'm in a girl's body!" A muffled shout brought Mayu out of her musings. Right. She was supposed to be getting them out of there. Last time, with Haku, his jutsu disappeared the moment she realized where she was. As she couldn't control his technique, it disappeared. However, this big guy's technique didn't seem like that one. Perhaps it was the chakra that made it able to stand on its own. Then how was she supposed to get the team out of there?

"_Wait… This guy's like super strong, or something, right?"_ Mayu thought. Using the chakra of her new body, she walked on the dome until she was at the top. She squatted down. With the knuckles of her massive hand, she rapped at the center. The thing was pretty sturdy. Her eyes narrowed again. She reared back a fist, and then shot it forward. The impact caused a large hole to form. She look through the hole she had caused. Several pairs of eyes stared back at her. However, the hole closed itself up. "So even when the chakra isn't being absorbed, the prison still does its job." She flipped off the top of the dome. As she did, she brought her leg down upon the prison. The damage it caused made the dome rumble, and then completely fell apart. The back of the dome didn't have as much chakra going through it.

The others, looking surprised, looked around. Then they honed in on her. However, Mayu's focus was on her body. It was currently tied up. "Mayu-san, you did it!" Hinata exclaimed. "I told them that you were the enemy, and they tied you up," she explained. The girl, in the body of the enemy, nodded her head. She began walking towards the group. The boys, however, weren't as trusting.

"Calm down. I'm a comrade," Mayu said. "I did this jutsu and switched bodies with the enemy." She pointed to her tied up body. "That is my body. I am a part of Hinata."

"She is correct," Hinata stated. "Mayu-san means no harm. We can trust her."

"I don't understand," Shikamaru muttered.

"You're the one that said I wasn't a clone, leader," Mayu said. "I'm a completely different person, right? Well, you're right. My name is Ishikari Mayu. It was through a jutsu that I have become like this." Her eyes focused on her body. Blue Hyuga eyes glared at her. Wow, she didn't realize how weird she looked. Still, she grinned. "Should I purposely damage your body, and then return to mine?"

"Go to hell, you piece of trash!" Jirobo snarled.

"Gosh, is that what I sound like, Hinata?" Mayu questioned, turning towards the Hyuga.

"I… don't have to answer that," the kunoichi replied. Mayu glowered and was about to say something. However, a sharp pain made her cry out instead. "Mayu-san! What's wrong?"

"I… I don't-" She grimaced, clutching her forehead. "This bo-body is-"

"Oh no! Quickly, Naruto-kun, untie Mayu-san's body!" Hinata seemed to know what was wrong and instructed the blond to act accordingly. The shinobi nodded and hastily did as told.

"_Ha_! You dirty trash! Your time is near!" Jirobo said, and then started chuckling madly, making me look like a weirdo. "Just you wait till I get my body back! I'll _crush_ all of you!"

"N-Naruto...!" Mayu groaned, trying to keep herself together.

"Almost..." Naruto called. With the strength she had left, Mayu quickly jumped away from the group.

"Liberación..." she muttered. The familiar rush overwhelmed her body. Before she knew it, she was Hinata's unusual twin again. "It... was a success..." The wire fell from her body.

"Mayu..." Naruto said. "That was... _crazy_. I thought you weren't a ninja."

"I don't know what I am, anymore," she shrugged her shoulders, and then stood up. However, this seemed to be a bad choice. Her eyes widened, sight going blurry. She felt dizzy, too. "Hinata." She took a step forward.

"You used a large amount of chakra, Mayu-san," she told her. "Come back into my body so you can rest. You've done well."

"That's... fine... by me," the girl muttered with a nod.

0-0

Slowly, her eyes opened. Wind slapped at her face, which meant she was moving, but not on her own accord. "_Hm_…" Her groan caused heads to turn. "Wha-What happened to me?" she questioned. Her eyes looked up. Blue eyes stared down at her. Judging from the whiskers, it was Naruto. "Hey, stop carrying me now." The blond shinobi scowled, and then stopped on a branch. The moment she was on her own two feet, he shot off again, leaving the girl to follow him.

"Glad to see you're okay, Mayu," Naruto murmured.

"Disappointed that I'm not Hinata?" Mayu asked. Naruto frowned, yet said nothing. "Anyway, what happened? Why am I coming to like this?" She looked behind her. There was no one besides Neji. "Where's Chouji?"

**After you went into my body... I, myself, experienced your fatigue and collapsed... so I don't know much.**

"After Hinata fainted, we left Chouji behind," Naruto answered. "We all took soldier pills, and then I gave Hinata one. That's when you woke up." That would explain the sudden power boost. She did feel better than before. In addition to that, her chakra felt back to normal. Those soldier pills were an awesome invention.

"How did you give it to her if she was unconscious?" Mayu questioned.

"I just-"

"Oh, you passed it to her through your mouth!" she didn't let him answer. "So how was it kissing Hinata for the first time, _hm_?"

A blush exploded across Naruto's face, causing Mayu to snicker. "THAT IS NOT WHAT HAPPENED!" the blond shouted at the top of his lungs.

**Ma-Ma-Mayu-san!**

_"Oh, you know I'm just playin'!"_

"Hey, you, Mayu girl," Kiba shifted Mayu's attention. "Where's Hinata?"

"Yes, my cousin is still here, isn't she?" Neji asked.

Instead of giving an affirmative, she decided to show them. Her hands worked through the combination of the Clone Jutsu. Seconds later, she was jumping beside the original Hyuga. "Mayu-san, I wish you would stop being so reckless," she told me in a whisper. There was a pink tint to her cheeks. The earlier comment was still effecting her greatly. "Now the others know about you."

"Hey, I got impatient!"

"Thanks for caring, but that was still reck-" Kiba interrupted Hinata.

"Hey, Hinata, how long have you known this girl?" he questioned.

"_Um_..." was her response.

"Does your father know about her? And why does she have the Byakugan eyes?" Neji inquired. "Why does this person have your features, yet her colors are-"

"_Uh_..." Hinata said.

"How can you and her switch places? How can she come out in the form of a clone?" Shikamaru asked.

"Well..." Hinata muttered.

"Okay, we don't have time for this!" Mayu exclaimed. "_I'll_ answer any and all questions as soon as this mission's over! We don't have time to worry about the arrival of the new comrade. Just be grateful that you _have_ a new comrade!"

"I suppose she has a point," Shikamaru said.

"At least tell us who we're working with," Kiba said.

"I think I already told you, but whatever…" Mayu muttered. Kiba glared at her. "Ishikari Mayu is my name."

"Ishikari-san," Neji's voice caught her attention, causing her eyes to look back. "I have one small question."

"Okay..." she murmured. "Go 'head."

"Do you... do you have a scar starting from your neck and ending on your back?" he asked.

Mayu blinked at the bizarre question. She wasn't the only one confused by the strange question either. Kiba and Naruto didn't hold their perplexed looks. However, Neji had his attention focused on her. "_Uh_... no, I don't," Mayu finally replied. "I get hurt a lot, but I've never done anything to cause injury to my neck area."

"I... see," Neji said, averting his gaze to the side. Mayu noticed that Hinata looked back at her cousin with a concerned look. However, she didn't understand why. In fact, the whole thing was pretty weird. Why would he ask such a weird question, anyway? "Anyway, Shikamaru..." Neji looked at the chuunin. "That pill that Chouji took... It seemed that it was some kind of last resort. Is there any chance of success?"

"He said that he had something up his sleeve," Kiba said.

"Seeing that he's from the Akemichi clan-" Shikamaru began. "-He brought some secret medicine for this mission. If he takes it, he will be able to use incredible power. There are the three different forms of the pill: green, yellow, and red. In each of those pills is hidden a massive power."

"I see, I see! That explains why he got so strong!" Naruto stated.

"Ishikari-san..." Neji spoke again.

"Mayu is just fine."

"Mayu-san," Neji said. The girl glowered. He was just like Hinata when it came to formalities. "Tell me, what is your relationship with Uchiha Sasuke? Why did you want to come on this mission so badly? I'm assuming that it was _you_ who threatened Shikamaru back when we were in the village."

"Because-" she began. However, Naruto took this time to supply an answer for her.

"Mayu is Sasuke's _girlfriend_!" he announced, rather loudly. Said 'girlfriend' snapped her head in his direction. He thought he was so funny that he laughed at himself. Hinata chose to look away and not say anything. But Mayu still saw her shoulders shaking as if she was holding back laughter. The others merely stared.

" Actually, I _am_!" Mayu lied. This caused the blond shinobi to abruptly stop his laughter.

"No way..." Kiba muttered. "I thought the dude was completely asexual."

"Uchiha Sasuke… fell madly in love with me!" she continued, clasping her hands together. "And after a while, I started falling in love with him! Soon after we became a couple, the third part of the chuunin exams started up. I totally helped train him for it! We spent all our time together, talking, laughing, and training. We were—are the perfect couple! But when that bastard left me without any type of warning... That really pissed me off!"

"What type of girl are you?" Kiba's lip twitched.

"Be quiet, you…! Anyway, after I found out he left, the only thing on my mind was kicking his ninny ass!" Mayu went on, balling up her fist. "And that's just what I plan to do, and then I'm gonna drag his ass back to the Leaf village, covered in bruises!" When she finished, she saw that the guys' faces were a bit freaked out. Well, a loving girlfriend turning completely mental was terrifying. If even they were just lies.

"Troublesome..." Shikamaru muttered.

"Crazy..." Neji said.

"Didn't know Sasuke liked those types of girls..." Kiba murmured.

"Anyway, let's focused back on the mission," Mayu suggested. She mentally shrugged her shoulders. If they chose to believe that then it was their faults. "And shut up, Naruto! You, too, Hinata!" They two were having a laughing fit. They were the only ones who knew the real relationship between her and Sasuke.

0-0

"Jirobo is late," Sakon stated, glancing back.

"No," Kidomaru said. "He's already here." As he said, Jirobo appeared and began following his team.

"Geez... What took you so long?" Sakon asked, looking back at his teammate.

"Sorry," Jirobo apologized. "I had to take those weak punks' chakra."

"You fatass," Tayuya welcomed her teammate back. "Don't slow us down. Hurry up and take the barrel. That's your job, you dickhead!" Jirobo stared intensively at the barrel on Kidomaru's back.

"Okay," he said. His teammates narrowed their eyes at his answer. Something was definitely not right with their_ friend_.

"You know, Jirobo..." Kidomaru said. "You're being awfully obedient today."

"What?" the large teen murmured. Kidomaru stopped and put a pair of his hands on the barrel.

"I'm saying that I won't hand over the barrel-" he continued. "-because you're not Jirobo!" As he said this, he threw the barrel at his dark pink-haired teammate, who caught it effortlessly. Jirobo took out a kunai and jumped at Kidomaru. "I'll handle it this time. Sakon, Tayuya, you guys go on ahead." Sakon and Tayuya jumped away, leaving Kidomaru holding off Jirobo's attack. "Jirobo always criticizes Tayuya for her speech." He smirked at the imposter. The large teen then transformed into Shikamaru.

"_Heh_, I see," he said. The chuunin tried kicking Kidomaru, but the multiple-armed boy just blocked. He spit out what seemed to be a spider web. Shikamaru was sent flying into a tree. He was stuck and out of luck.

Suddenly, six Naruto clones popped out, and they were headed for Kidomaru! "You bastard!" Their shouts were in unison. Their fists launched forward. Kidomaru chuckled lightly, and then leapt off the branch he was on. He spit some kind of white goo in his hands, and then starting shaping it into something as he fell.

He shouted out the name of his jutsu. The goo in his hands transformed into a giant spider web. The Naruto clones were all caught in the giant web. The chuunin shouted out his fallen comrade's name. However, Naruto only glared up at the enemy. _"Now, Kiba, Akamaru!"_ he thought. _"He won't be able to get away while in the air."_ Unfortunately, Kidomaru heard the other shinobi's shout. The dog ninja's Fang Over Fang technique did no damage to the enemy because he had effectively dodged. The twisters transformed back into Kiba and Akamaru as the Kiba clone.

"I won't let you escape!" Kiba growled.

"That's my line," Kidomaru chuckled. "Look at your feet!" There, on and around the two shinobi's feet were strings of the enemy's sticky substance. _Haha_—that sounded wrong. Kiba continued yell, but Kidomaru only taunted him with his smirk. "Keep at it." Suddenly, Neji came out of nowhere with his advanced bloodline triggered. It looked as though the Hyuga prodigy would hit, but Kidomaru just let go of his web.

He fell, leaving Neji to attack nothing but thin air. Kidomaru clung to a branch upside down, and then began to form something else out of the white goo. It flew from the enemy in the form of a giant web! This time, Neji had been caught. _"Damn... Naruto, Kiba, Neji, and I..."_ Shikamaru thought. _"Can this plan still succeed?"_

"I'll cocoon you here," Kidomaru told the Hyuga, who was struggling to escape his sticky prison, but no avail.

The six-armed ninja made it so that Neji's entire body was wrapped in the sticky substance. At this point, Naruto started to get worried, so he took out a kunai and tried cutting through the web, but that proved to be futile. "Damn it! Damn it!" he cursed. "What's with this web? It won't cut!" Kidomaru chuckled at Naruto's attempts to cut his web.

"It's useless! Useless!" he taunted, still hanging upside down. "Even elephants couldn't break through my web."

From Kidomaru's point of view, the clones looked like tiny insects caught in his web. "Shadow Clones... Interesting..." he mumbled. He then started chewing on something, forming a special substance in his mouth. Meanwhile, with Hinata and Mayu, both girls were looking at the situation from their hiding place.

"Hey, Hinata..." Mayu whispered. "Did you notice the chakra running through his creepy technique?"

"Yes, he must be using chakra and his body fluid to form it," Hinata answered, softly. "Even though it's not attached to his body, chakra still runs through..."

"What about Neji?" Mayu asked. "He's not dead, is he? I can't tell even with these eyes."

"No, he's just very still," Hinata answered. "He likes to remain still when he's thinking."

"Hold on, did you say chakra still runs through the web?" Mayu's eyebrows furrowed. "Just like a vein..."

Hinata's eyes widened. "You're right! It's just like veins in a human body!" The kunoichi smiled at her comrade and friend. Mayu grinned in response. She cracked her knuckles.

"Then let's do some damage!"

"Wait!" Hinata instructed.

"You're my first victim, so let's make this entertaining!" Kidomaru's voice reached the girls' ears, causing them both to look towards him. They saw that he held some kind of a curved weapon.

"What's that?" Mayu muttered. "And why is he pointing at the Naruto clones?"

_"It's clear that he believes that one of Naruto clones is real," _Hinata thought, she then glanced up. _"Naruto-kun is still hiding up there."_ Her pale eyes looked back at Kidomaru, who was still talking, and narrowed her eyes. "Mayu-san..."

"Yeah...?"

"I have a plan," she answered.

"Then, the next one will be this guy!" Kidomaru shouted, throwing another curved weapon down at the Naruto clones. The weapon hit, and then the clone disappeared. "Lucky guy. Next, I'll get two at once! Fifty-fifty!" This time, he threw two curved weapons. Two clones disappeared once the sharp things hit. Kidomaru laughed madly. "This guy really has good luck!" He smirked. "But this time, it's one of two!" He threw another, hitting another Naruto clone, making him disappear in a cloud of smoke. "So he lasted to the very end..." Kidomaru remarked. "Well, it was interesting, for a game. But now the game ends."

"Get ready, Mayu-san!" Hinata told her counterpart. The girl nodded her head and jumped off the branch, leaving the kunoichi alone. _"Neji has figured it out..."_ she thought, looking to where her cousin used to be. _"That's good..."_

"DIE!" Kidomaru yelled, throwing the last of his weapons at the last clone. The weapon pierced the skin of the clone and went straight through. Though, the clone disappeared with a pop! "What?" Kidomaru seemed genuinely surprised. The real Naruto popped out of his hiding place and went for the enemy. Once again, though, Kidomaru heard the battle cry and turned around. He easily deflected Naruto's punch. Although, the blond shinobi was away from Kidomaru, the spider like boy still had Naruto captured because of his sticky string. _"I see..." _he thought, narrowing his replications had attacked while the real one stayed in hiding. It was shocking that a guy like him thought it that far through. Still, the plan was still pretty useless against him. "Good try," Kidomaru muttered. "But! You don't have any more tricks. DIE!" He yanked on the string that was attached to Naruto, causing the blond to fly off the branch.

Out of nowhere, Hinata jumped from her hiding position. Her hand sliced though the web as she grabbed onto Naruto. Hurriedly, she moved to a higher branch, where her cousin was waiting.

"Hinata…! Neji!" Naruto exclaimed once he was out of the kunoichi's arms.

"How did you...?" Kidomaru muttered.

"Now, Mayu-san!" Hinata shouted. This shout caused the eyes of the enemy to expand.

"Here we go!" Mayu shouted, causing Kidomaru to turn. However, it was too late. The darker clone had already unleashed her attack. She repeatedly hit Kidomaru's chest area with the Gentle Fist, but she actually _used_ her fist, causing the boy to be sent falling from the branch. "Rock Hard Gentle Fist!" Hinata sighed softly.

"I told her not to use that when it's still imperfect!" she groaned, watching her friend begin to dance in victory.

"Is that—is she?" Neji asked.

"Unfortunately..." Hinata answered, shoulders drooping. Mayu had begun to do the Running Man while chanting:

"Can't touch this! Doo do do do! Doo do, do doo! Can't touch this!" she sang. "Stop...! Hammer time!"

"That girl... is very weird..." Neji remarked. He then jumped over to Kiba to set him free.

"We know..." Hinata and Naruto replied in unison.

_"How did she become Uchiha Sasuke's girlfriend?" _Shikamaru thought as went a sweat drop went down the back of his head.

"Hey, you little bitch, that hurt!" a voice caused Mayu to freeze her dance. She slowly turned to see Kidomaru glaring at her.

"Mayu-san!" Hinata yelled. Before Mayu could react properly, Kidomaru punched the girl's face, causing blood to fly out of her mouth. Her body also went over the tree branch. Fortunately, Mayu flipped and landed safely on a lower branch. She clutched her stinging cheek.

_"Damn, that hurt!"_ she thought. _"I've really got to stay more alert!"_ Meanwhile, Neji had begun to set Shikamaru free.

"I'll kill you!" Kidomaru yelled, throwing that curved weapon at Mayu. The girl's eyes expanded as it came closer and closer! Then she thought about something. Mentally chuckling at her own stupidity, Mayu squeezed her eyes shut and disappeared in a cloud of smoke. "What? A clone?" Kidomaru yelled. He frantically searched around. "Where's the real one?"

Meanwhile, Mayu had safely returned to Hinata. "Are you alright?" Hinata asked.

**Danger, danger, Will Robinson!**

Hinata resisted the urge to roll her eyes as she performed the proper hand signs. Mayu wasted no time in alerting the enemy that she was still alive and well. "Hey, up here, freak!" she called down to Kidomaru. He looked up in surprise.

"How did you all get free?" He pointed an angry finger at the Leaf ninja.

Neji, Shikamaru, Kiba, Akamaru, Hinata, Naruto, and Mayu were all standing on a single branch. Most of them were giving grins. "Since it uses chakra as a component," Neji began. "We destroyed it by pouring our chakra into it. This jutsu is useless against the Gentle Fist."

"That's right, it's just like the veins in a human body," Hinata said, nodding her head. "Only members of the Hyuga Clan can deal with this guy."

"Go," Neji said. "I'll do it!"

"This guy is a lot stronger than the fat guy," Kiba stated. His dog had just jumped into his coat in fear. "Much stronger..."

"If we don't go one on one, then the numbers will be off," Neji stated. "Isn't that what we discussed?"

"Yeah..." Shikamaru said. "That's right."

"Furthermore, if we stop here, we won't be able to catch up to Sasuke," Neji pointed out.

"Chouji is still not back yet," Kiba stated.

"We are here because it is our mission to bring back Sasuke," Neji said. "But it's not only that... As ninja, we are chasing after and protecting the Leaf's ideals. During the Third's funeral, do you remember Iruka's words?"

_"No! Not another flashback!" _Mayu thought. _"Don't they know that the enemy could attack at any moment? Morons!"_

"Listen up, Sasuke is heading to Orochimaru," Neji continued. "We can't let someone from our village go to him. We cannot. And... Naruto... You have better eyes than me. Sasuke is now... within the darkness. Hurry and go!"

"Neji, you're not doing this alone," Hinata said softly. Everyone's eyes widen at the kunoichi's words.

"Hinata...!" Mayu was the first to speak. "You can't mean..."

"Yes, I will stay here and fight with my family," she confirmed.

"No, no, no, no, no!" Apparently, Mayu did not want to hear this. "I won't allow it! No! No!"

"Mayu-san, as I said before... only the members of the Hyuga clan can deal with him," Hinata stated. "And I am a member of that clan."

"No! You're not staying!" her friend protested. "I won't let you get hurt!"

"I have to do this, Mayu-san..."

"No, please no! Naruto, aren't you going to say something?"

"Hinata…" The blond initially looked bewildered. Then he broke out into a grin. "Knock him dead!" He gave her a thumbs up. The kunoichi returned his encouragement with a small smile and blush.

"What? That is not what I-"

"MAYU-SAN!" Hinata yelled, gaining the girl's attention. "I do not need protection anymore. I am strong. I will stay behind and defeat this enemy with Neji. I'll be fine."

"Hinata..." Mayu muttered. She wanted to say something else. However… What could she say? The girl lowered her gaze to the branch. Then she turned her back on the kunoichi. "I understand," she murmured. _"Hinata's not a kid anymore, she no longer needs my help..." _she thought.

"Mayu-san... I'm sorry, but I have to do this," Hinata said. She walked towards her cousin and stood by his side.

"You'd better kick his ass, Hinata," Mayu threatened.

"I will not let you down," the kunoichi replied with a nod. "I'll do my best!" Her eyes turned to the enemy. "You focus on bringing back Sasuke-san." Mayu nodded her head as well. "We're catch up later."

"Okay, I guess that means we can go, now..." Shikamaru said, standing.

"You two come along with Chouji, alright?" Kiba said; Akamaru barked.

"Yeah, we will..." Neji said. The rest of the team jumped off the branch, leaving the two Hyuga clan members behind. The four glanced back at the two.

_"Hinata, Neji... catch up with us, okay?"_ Naruto thought.

_"It feels like I just left my sister with a pack of hungry wolves..." _Mayu thought as she clutched her stomach, hoping to stop the rising feeling of anxiety. Back with Kidomaru, he didn't seem happy about the others' departure. He spit the goo into his hand and threw it.

"Byakugan!" Hinata and Neji exclaimed in unison, activating their eyes at the same time. The substance shot out in the form of a web. It caught both of the Byakugan users, and then it headed for the departing four. The two cousins broke through their bonds and cut the strings that were going for their teammates.

"These two are pretty good," Kidomaru grumbled.

"Hinata, Neji...!" Naruto exclaimed.

"As expected..." Shikamaru said. The two Hyuga jumped in front of Kidomaru's line of vision.

"We won't let you get past us!" Again, they spoke in sync. Kidomaru spit a web out, but Neji just destroyed it. "It's no use..." he said.

"It's okay then," Kidomaru said. "You two seem like the strongest in the group."

"No matter what... we must win, Neji..." Hinata muttered, getting into her stance.

"Yes," the shinobi agreed, also getting into the Hyuga stance. _"Hinata's come a long way..." _he thought. _"I can't wait to see what abilities she's learned."_

0-0

Wow, it was so annoying to revise this chapter that I cut a lot of it out and split the chapter in two. The next one will be the rest of chapter thirteen. Seriously, all this canon I put in before makes it so hard to come up with something different... on the count that I'm super lazy and didn't feel like it. Anyway, hopefully, there will be a drastic change from the original next chapter. If not, there's always the next.

Read and Review please!


	14. Chapter 14

Mayu sighed heavily. She had been doing this for quite awhile now. It was beginning to annoy the shinobi she was traveling with. The group had left Neji and Hinata over an hour ago. Although he was annoyed with the sighing, Naruto did not say anything. Truly, he was worried about the others, too. He was sure that they would be okay and catch up soon. But in the corner of his mind, there was _some_ doubts. Shikamaru chose to ignore the sighing. Well, he wanted to as it was too troublesome. However, Mayu's sighs were a bit loud. Kiba had no such qualms.

"_Oi_! Mayu girl!" he shouted back. His sudden increase of voice caused the strange Hyuga to look up. "Would you stop making so much noise? My teammate is pretty kickass by herself and that cousin of hers is strong, too. They're fine, so stop worrying!" Mayu blinked at the demand. She then narrowed her eyes.

"Dude, I'm not worried about Hinata. That spider guy doesn't stand a chance against her," she stated. "After all, I put her through intense training to toughen her up." Her words were met by looks of confusion. "Oh, you must be wondering why I'm sighing then, huh?" She scratched her cheek. "To be honest, I'm more worried about Sasuke."

"Huh…? What for? I mean, I know he's your boyfriend and all, but seriously?" Kiba asked. Mayu scowled.

"When I said I was worried about him, I meant when I get my hands on him," she clarified. "Causing everyone to go through this mission… I feel like I want to kill him, that's all."

"WHAT?" Shikamaru exclaimed, looking back with disbelieving eyes.

"MAYU!" Naruto also turned.

"Aren't you his girlfriend?" Kiba shouted.

"You guys seriously need to stop shouting. You might alert the bad guys," Mayu calmly replied. She shrugged her shoulders. "My friends are more important than some guy. If Hinata gets seriously hurt, I'll never forgive him."

"Just keep your sighs to yourself," Shikamaru rolled his eyes. Mayu saluted the leader of the group. For a time, they traveled in complete silence. Instead of sighing, the girl made facial expressions to show how annoyed she was. For the most part, she was ignored. At last, Kiba spoke up, telling the others that the enemy was close. Apparently, there were two enemies left. "We've got four," Shikamaru stated. "It's four on two. If things go well, we may finish this mission with one last encounter." The genin of the foursome boasted about their techniques. "That's _such_ a good plan," the leader responded to Naruto, who had suggested using his Shadow Clones. The blond, though, didn't understand the sarcasm. "But let's go with my plan first. Got it?" Naruto nodded his head with a grin. Yeah—he definitely didn't catch the sarcasm. "Mayu…! You up for this?" His eyes turned to her.

"Of course I am, leader!" she answered, curling her fist. "Bring on the pain!"

"Good… Okay, now for my plan to work, we have to catch up to them before the sun sets completely," Shikamaru stated.

"Let's speed things up then!" Kiba exclaimed, increasing his pace.

"But the sun's going to set in mere minutes," Mayu muttered. "We won't make that."

"No, this is just fine," Shikamaru said. "We'll keep our distance and continue the pursuit."

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked.

"It just means that we're going to postpone the attack until the sun rises," the chuunin replied. Of course, this did not go over well with the blond ninja.

"Screw that! We don't have that much time!"

"That's right!" Kiba was in full agreement. "Besides, if we're going to attack, isn't it more to our advantage if we attack in the dark?"

"To us, the only advantage we have when we attack is that single moment when we strike," Shikamaru explained. "In that moment, the chances of us getting Sasuke back, escaping, and then getting far away are close to nothing. If, in that moment, we aren't successful in getting back Sasuke, they will collapse their defense around that barrel. If that happens, then we'll be in the dark and unable to do anything. In return, they don't have to make unnecessary movements and that also gives them the advantage. It would be different if we had the Byakugan, though. However, I have deducted that Mayu can't use the eyes if Hinata's so far away. Am I right?"

"Quite right, Shikamaru," Mayu answered with a nod. She had done research on the Ishikari jutsu. She realized that some jutsu, pertaining to her circumstance with inhabiting the bodies of Haruno Sakura and Hyuga Hinata, came from that clan. In order for a jutsu to successfully work, the person who is the unwilling collaborated must be near in order for the Ishikari clan member to use their abilities. Such a horrible downside to their jutsu.

"But we have me and Akamaru," Kiba stated. "Our noses are top-notch."

"I've already put your senses of smell into my calculations," Shikamaru said. "Even with that, they would still have the advantage. Not to mention… if I can't use my techniques, there's nothing we can do. Even if I stopped their movement with Shadow Possession—if the moon was blocked by the clouds, the plan would only be half good. It's troublesome, but there are too many dangerous uncertainties."

"But-" the dog ninja began to protest again. However, Mayu became impatient with this banter.

"Shut up, Kiba!" she blurted out. "Shikamaru's the leader, or have you forgotten?" The Inuzuka glared in her direction. "We're supposed to follow his orders without question. I'm pissed that this is taking so long. Just listen to the chuunin and we may get this mission taken care of quickly!" Kiba scoffed, yet said nothing in retort.

"Kay, thanks!" Shikamaru smirked, secretly glad that he didn't have to explain anymore.

"Yeah, no problem," Mayu murmured.

0-0

"What are those morons doing?" The red-haired kunoichi did not seem happy. At the moment, there was a faceoff between her and her teammate with Naruto, Kiba, and Shikamaru. Each ninja wore glares on their faces. As the leader of the Leaf ninja wanted, the group had caught up by sunrise. Pissed, the two-headed ninja jumped from his branch. In response, Naruto threw a punch. Mayu watched the plan play out from her hiding spot. Shikamaru thought it would be a good idea to have one member of the team in hiding. After taking a vote, it was decided that she would be the one. Of course, she didn't like it, so she had kicked all three of the shinobi.

Mayu narrowed her eyes, observing the enemies movements. It looked as though the leader's plan was going to work. Naruto was already forming the Rasengan. However, Sakon grabbed onto his arm, causing the jutsu to disappear. His taunt to Naruto was interrupted because Kiba came to aid his comrade. The Piercing Fang shot forward, but it was dodged. The attack wasn't meant to do any damage. Actually, the plan was to get the enemy into a straight line. This would make it easier to take the barrel. "You think you got us?" Sakon yelled. He was so frustrated that he didn't notice his teammate being trapped by Shikamaru's Shadow Possession Jutsu. Kiba, however, did. His stopped his attack and grabbed the barrel. "Tayuya! Why are you just staring off into space? And why the hell are you stepping forward?" Mayu almost rolled her eyes as the two enemies collided with one another.

The two Sound ninja were sent flying over the branch of the tree. "Here ya go!" Kiba tossed the large barrel. Mayu stood up from her hiding place and caught the barrel with a grunt. "Now let's get the hell outta dodge!" The shinobi nodded, and then took off, following behind Mayu. "That was too easy!" Kiba exclaimed.

"Just as I thought… They were full of openings," Shikamaru grinned. "They have problems even though they have talent. It just means we were two steps ahead of them."

"Come back here, you trash!" The angry voice of Sakon echoed through the forest. The group warily glanced back.

"Oh shit…" Mayu muttered. She realized that the Sound shinobi would catch up sooner than they thought. He was probably the fastest on the team. She hoped that Akamaru was finished setting up those traps. Several explosions ignited, answering the unasked question. "He did it!" However, their little celebration was cut short. Sakon's shouts told them that he hadn't been caught in the blast. Kiba suddenly went back, shouting Akamaru's name. Another blast happened soon after, which caused Naruto to call back in concern. It wasn't Kiba's voice that answered.

"HEY!" It was the kunoichi of the Sound Four—Tayuya. "You little shits!"

"The other one has come!" Shikamaru stated. "We have no choice." The three of them stopped. "I'll do something. You take the barrel and go on ahead." The said object had been placed between Naruto and Mayu. The blond muttered the leader's name. "Stop wasting time and go!" Tayuya _had_ been closing in fast. But… She suddenly stopped moving altogether. Her brown, slightly fearful, eyes were not focused on the Leaf comrades, though.

"Why are you here?" she asked. Before anyone could react to her bizarre question, the barrel had moved. Both Naruto and Mayu whipped their heads around, trying to locate the missing object, containing Uchiha Sasuke. Blue Hyuga eyes snapped up. Her mouth dropped open upon realizing who it was that had taken the barrel.

"Sorry, Naruto, Mayu…" Shikamaru sounded almost defeated. "He wasn't in my calculations." The 'he' that the leader was referring to was the one who had taken the barrel. His green eyes stared impassively down at the Leaf ninja. Mayu recognized him right away. That pale skin, green eyes, two red dots—instead of normal eyebrows—and white hair was a dead giveaway. However, she did not know his name. Megumi, her friend from back home, had quite often called him 'The Hot Bone Guy' as a nickname so that was the only thing that came up for his name. Mayu put on a sour expression. It was times like these where she wished she could remember the entire retrieval arc.

"Kimimaro…" Fortunately for her, Tayuya had said his name. Mentally, she wiped the sweat from her brow. It would have been quite embarrassing to refer to him as 'The Hot Bone Guy.'

"You're too late, Tayuya," his calm voice spoke. He was now beside Tayuya. They hadn't even seemed him move! "Besides, where are the other three? We were the Sound Five."

"Why are you…?" The kunoichi hadn't bothered to answer his question. "Your body… Your body should be…" He moved to another branch, along with the barrel.

"My body is broken. I am using my willpower to move it," Kimimaro stated. Mayu's jaw dropped. Willpower…? What the hell? But if she remembered correctly, he wasn't lying. The guy was mega strong. Her eyebrows furrowed as Kimimaro went into a mini rant about dreams, Orochimaru, and something creepy. Mayu wasn't really listening, though. However, as the older teen continued to speak, she only got angrier with each word. They had taken Sasuke back, and then this guy comes along and ruins everything. That alone pissed her off. But the fact that he was _talking_ sent her over the edge.

"_OI_! Give _this_ to Orochimaru-sama for me!" Mayu shouted, holding up her middle finger. Her unexpected screech caused all eyes to look in her direction. Kimimaro narrowed his eyes. "I don't give a flying _fuck_ what that sick bastard wants, but he _ain't_ getting Sasuke! Not this time!"

"H-Hey…! Calm down!" Shikamaru slammed a hand down on Mayu's shoulder.

"No!" She smacked his hand away. "I was calm when you told me that I couldn't come on this mission. I was calm when Sakura tried to make Naruto promise to bring back Sasuke. I was calm when we were trapped in that ogre's Earth dome. I was _calm_ when Hinata decided to stay behind and fight with her cousin. I will _not_ be calm about this!" Shikamaru blinked, and then frowned. As he recalled, the dark-skinned girl had threatened him, smacked the shit out of Sakura, broke out of the prison, and nearly cried when Hinata was left to fight Kidomaru.

"_If that's what she calls calm, I really don't want to see the opposite,"_ he thought. Mayu smacked her hands together. Shikamaru produced a flat look. Here it comes… How troublesome. The girl rapidly formed hand signs. The last time, the ram sign, was thrust in the new arrival's direction.

"Ishikari Style! Mind Transfer Jutsu!" Within a second, enemies had switched places. "Naruto! Leader! I'm counting on you!" Kimimaro's voice only added confusion. Still, Shikamaru nodded his head. He then put the girl beside him in a headlock. The real Kimimaro was too stunned by the switch that he hadn't seen it coming. He struggled in Shikamaru's hold, but the chuunin held strong. "Naruto!" A kunai was thrown. Mayu successfully caught, and then without warning, the blade was embedded deep into her new stomach. She cried out at the pain.

"_Eh_? I know you were a crazy sumbitch, but this is too fucking much, don't you think?" Tayuya was still lost in confusion.

"Tayuya! That's not me! Do something!" Mayu's voice shouted at her.

The older teen gave a painful grin, causing blood to slide down from the mouth. This was something she saw on another show. It was pretty much a bitch move, but it had been rather effective for him. "Thanks… Ginyu…" she muttered, slowly sliding the kunai from her new body. Tossing the blade away, she fell back. The others watched, shocked as Kimimaro's body plummeted to the ground at an alarming rate. Tayuya shouted out his name. Barely keeping her eyes open, Mayu placed her hands together. "Re… Release!" The feeling of being light as a feather overtook her body. Less than a second later, she found herself in a headlock. "Alright, let me go."

"Mayu…?" Shikamaru hesitantly asked.

"Yes, damn it! Let me go! And, Naruto, why haven't you gotten the barrel?"

It was definitely Mayu.

The chuunin released the girl. However, before Naruto could make a grab for the barrel, the new enemy returned. He stood beside the barrel yet again. "You foolish girl. Did you honestly think that would work?" Kimimaro questioned. Although, blood flowed out of him, he looked as though the wound hadn't even fazed him. Actually, the wound appeared to have stopped bleeding. There seemed to be something white and smooth covering the injury. What the _hell_?

"Yes, asshole, I did," Mayu retorted. She bared her teeth. The guy did have some great willpower. Kimimaro merely scoffed. He then took the barrel and just left. "Come back, damn you!"

"You shits!" Tayuya shouted. "He's going to slaughter you all if you go after him!" The three turned to her. The redhead pulled out a flute. "Stay right where you are and I'll end your lives quickly!"

"_Oh no_! Not the _flute_!" Mayu sarcastically screamed, holding her cheeks. She then glared. "_Bite_ me, bitch!"

"Fuck you, stupid trash!"

"Naruto, Mayu, _listen_ to me," Shikamaru distracted the girl from snapping back at the enemy. "Move exactly how I tell you to. After I attack, you two pretend to attack, but don't. Your focus will be to get away and chase the guy who has Sasuke. I'll stay here and stall for time." Naruto and Mayu nodded. He realized that both of them wanted to reach Sasuke. Their determination to get back the Uchiha far exceeded his.

"Come on, shitheads!" Tayuya beckoned.

"It's three-on-one! We've got the advantage!" Shikamaru stood up, pulling a kunai from his holster. "If we fight together, we can take her!" His acting skills were horrid, but Tayuya seemed to buy it because she laughed and told them to bring in on. "Don't underestimate our teamwork!"

"Here we go!" Naruto shouted. The three of them jumped in unison towards the enemy kunoichi. Shikamaru made an attack first. His, predictable, was blocked by Tayuya's flute. "Now…!" The blond threw a punch while Mayu reared her leg back to kick. However, this was only a feint. The two of them completely flipped over the kunoichi. "_Just_ kidding!" Naruto exclaimed once they landed safely. He even smacked his behind and stuck up his middle finger. Mayu did the same, without the butt smacking. She, instead, pulled at the skin under her eye. Then, the two dashed away, intending to track down Kimimaro.

"YOU TRICKED ME!" Tayuya's shout echoed.

This only caused Naruto and Mayu to burst into laughter. After a moment, they calmed themselves. Back to business then. "Naruto… When we catch up, I'll hide while you attack, okay?" Mayu said. The blond looked befuddled. He knew the girl well enough to know that she did not like being on the sidelines. She definitely wouldn't suggest it herself. "This is so I can get the barrel while the enemy's distracted.

"Oh, I get it!" Naruto nodded his head in agreement.

0-0

Admittedly, there was another reason Mayu decided to hang back and let Naruto do all the fighting. The opponent was _Kimimaro_. She may have not remembered his name, but she had definitely remembered his skills. Neither Lee nor Gaara could match him in battle. And who knows when they were going to show up for assistance? Also, she couldn't help but feel that the older teen was quite upset that she had managed to trick him. Well, not trick, but she did take his body without permission. She felt uneasy about that look he had given her before he had left. So here she was, in the cover of the tree, watching the demon-influenced Naruto clones surround Kimimaro. Her eyes shifted to the barrel, though. Frowning, she watched it intently.

Briefly, she wondered if the shinobi inside the large object was beat up. The barrel had been tossed around quite a bit, after all. It was only briefly, though. Her attention was pulled into the fight between the opposing forces. As she thought, Kimimaro sliced through the clones with ease, and without being hit either. He was probably the strongest person in their age group. Someone like her wouldn't stand a chance against him and his bloodline.

Naruto wasn't thinking clearly. He was attacking as if this guy was just a regular opponent. That type of thinking about get him killed. It was only a matter of time before Kimimaro finished off the clones, and then give the final strike to the real blond shinobi. More and more of the clones disappeared thanks to Kimimaro's flawless attacks. Eventually, it came down to one Naruto. "This is bad!" Mayu said in a hushed voice. She was about to come out of hiding to aid her friend. However, she notice smoke rising from the container. The seal on the barrel suddenly tore. "What?" Unceremoniously, the barrel exploded! Mayu had the swallow the scream before it could escape her lips. "Was that _supposed_ to happen?"

When the smoke finally cleared, there stood the one they were supposed to bring back. His hair was longer and lighter than it was before. His skin was also slightly darker, too. Mayu's teeth grind together as she unconsciously leaned forward. Suddenly, his altered appearance changed back to normal. His arms dropped to his sides. His shoulders rose, and then fell as if he had released a heavy sigh. "Hey, Sasuke!" Naruto actually laughed out and waved. Mayu frowned at his actions. The blond was in denial. "What are you doing with these clowns? Let's go back!"

For a moment, the girl closed her eyes. She pitied Naruto at that moment. He actually believed, after going through so much, Sasuke would willingly return. At this point, there would be no '_Nah_, I was just playing!' and returning to the village all smiles. No. Sasuke had made his decision already. He abandoned his team. He abandoned his village. He abandoned… her. Mayu clenched her fists. Her eyes opened, glaring at the Uchiha crest on the back of Sasuke's shirt.

Her body reacted without her brain telling it to. She leapt from her hiding place and sprinted across the field. Kimimaro saw her, and moved to strike. He was right behind her. His weapon was lifted only to be brought down. "Don't." The sharp porcelain weapon did not reach her. Everyone on the field froze, surprised at the order. Uchiha Sasuke had given the order without ever turning around. "Don't touch her." The wind blew, leaving leaves and other lightweight objects to fly around. Sasuke stepped forward. "Come… Mayu." The young Uchiha jumped away without another word. The girl nearly growled. She moved to follow him. However, Kimimaro stopped her.

"It's useless," he said. "You will not succeed in your attempts to take him back." For a moment, Mayu did not response. Slowly, she turned her head towards the older teen. She smirked, showing her teeth.

"M-Mayu…?"

"You're wrong," she told him. "Everyone seems to think that I wanted to bring Sasuke back. But, you see, that was never my intention."

"What are you talking about, Mayu? That's the reason-"

"No, that's _your_ reason," she interrupted. "I'm not like you or Sakura. On some level, even though your occupation involves killing, you still have that childish naivety. I, on the other hand, am an observer. I know the world. I know and accept the good and bad. Whether anyone believes that what Sasuke is doing is good or bad, I did not intend on stopping him or convincing him to come back." Mayu closed her eyes for a moment. "He has already… chosen his path. Who am I to pull him from it?" With that said, the girl took off after the Uchiha, leaving Naruto to face Kimimaro by himself. Well, Lee should show up pretty soon. This, she knew. Right now, her focus was on Sasuke. As she ran, jumping from tree to tree, her hand slid into her pocket. Fiddling with the item inside, she narrowed her eyes. "It's come to this," she murmured. Her hand left her pocket. She increased her speed. She needed to catch up with Sasuke quickly. Naruto would catch up soon.

The girl lowered her upper body a bit. She used her arms as well as her legs to move faster. Because of this, it didn't take long until she saw the Uchiha crest. The ninja suddenly halted his movements. From his crouched position, he stood up. Then he jumped down to the forest floor. Mayu almost snarled before she, too, dropped down to the ground. "Mayu," he greeted. The girl dug in her pocket again. She pulled the item out and clutched it in her palm. Slowly, he began to turn her way. Without warning, the object in her hand was thrown, at alarming speeds, at Sasuke. He turned, only to have the item collide with his forehead. The impact actually caused the Uchiha to slide back until his back hit the tree behind him. He gripped his forehead and groaned in obvious pain. "Why are you so damn _brutal_?"

Mayu smirked as she walked over to him. Sasuke had yet to lift his head. She placed her hands on her hips and stared down at the shinobi. "Did you _honestly_ think this would be happy reunion?" She tilted her body forward. "You're a bigger bird brain than I thought." He scoffed lightly, removing the heart-shaped frame from his forehead. Still, he didn't meet her gaze. "I'm just being curious, but… Do you have any idea how angry I am?"

"Judging from your voice alone, I couldn't tell," Sasuke answered. "But since I know you well, I know exactly how angry you are." He chuckled. "I knew you'd get angry."

"If you knew, why did you leave without telling me?" Mayu inquired. "We're friends, aren't we? You should have told me to my face what your plans were."

"No…"

"What?"

"I did consider you my friend… for a time," Sasuke vaguely explained. "You saw me. You changed me. You made me feel like I wasn't alone. You made me happy even when I knew that that man was still out there somewhere… You made me realize that I could still laugh." He let out a slow sigh. "And that's why… I don't consider you a friend anymore."

"_Eh_? On what planet does that make sense? Shouldn't that make me your _best_ friend?"

"NO!" Mayu reared back. Her hands fell from her hips. Sasuke had snapped eyes up to glare. The girl's mouth dropped open. Almost half of his face was covered with the cursed mark. One of his eyes was not the usual onyx color. Rather, it had changed to a dark yellow. "You are _not_ my best friend." Mayu averted her gaze to the forest floor. Her eyelids lowered as she frowned.

"I don't understand you," she murmured. "But I wanted to hit you so badly… But now, as I look as you, I want to turn away. I don't want to look at you. You're… You're-" Mayu suddenly gasped, feeling his arms around her body. He pulled her close, forcing her chin to press against the skin between his neck and shoulder. She could only blink rapidly in surprise.

"I know… I knew what your reaction was going to be," Sasuke muttered. "I knew you would chase me, wanting to kick my ass—just because I didn't give you a proper goodbye. Sometimes, you're so predictable."

"Why are you doing this?" Mayu whispered. "If you knew, then why didn't you just tell me? All I wanted was a confirmation that I affect you. A goodbye would have done that."

"You're lying," Sasuke said. "If I came to you, I knew that you would have told me to stay. Because it's you, I would have listened." Mayu's eyebrows knitted together. "But I couldn't stay. I need more power in order defeat that guy. I can't do anything else until he's dead. Staying in the Leaf village won't make me stronger than him. I need to get stronger quicker. I have to do this."

"Get off me."

"What?"

"Get. Off. Me." Slowly, his arms dropped. At her intense look, Sasuke stepped away, too. She stared at him for a full minute because she chuckled mirthlessly. She shook her head. "I'm such an idiot. I knew this day would come. But I didn't care." She scoffed and shook her head again. "I thought you had changed, but you're still the same selfish, power-hungry, stupid _boy_ that doesn't know anything." She laughed again. The small smile fell. "Still, I thought you would care… care enough about me to tell me. But you don't, do you? You probably pretended with me this whole time, right?"

"That's an unfair and _stupid_ assessment," Sasuke gritted out.

"What am I supposed to think, _huh_?" Mayu snapped back. "You just said that you didn't consider me your friend! _You_ said that!" That horrible pain in her chest was back, only this was much worse than when she had found the note. Her hand reached up, grabbing her shirt. That did nothing to quell the ache. "I suppose it doesn't matter now, anyway. You're still leaving." She gave him a bitter smile. "But you… still own Ino a kiss." Sasuke scowled.

"You don't get it at all, do you?" he asked. "Being wise and stupid at the same time—you're so talented."

"What'd you say, mofo?"

"Let me make this clear to you then…" Sasuke continued as if he hadn't heard the girl. He stepped forward again. Mayu, of course, did not back away. "The childish games I played… that's over. I have to be serious about everything from here on out."

"Childish games…?" Mayu repeated. Suddenly, she pushed Sasuke with enough force to take them both to the ground. She grabbed his shirt, yanking him towards her. "Childish games?" This time she nearly hissed. "What about this is childish? Everyone… Everyone risked their lives for you! Hinata… Hinata could be dead right now… and everyone else that was left behind." Mayu didn't realize, but tears fell from her eyes and splashed onto Sasuke's cheeks. She squeezed her eyes shut. "All of us were being serious! I… I was being serious this whole time. Our friendship meant so much to me. Sasuke-" Her voice cracked. Her grip on him loosened. "Sa-Sasuke, I'll miss our friendship too much… All those times… Ple-Please don't forget. Don't forget me!" The girl's eyes suddenly shot open. She covered her mouth, wishing she could just take back what she had said. She hadn't even realized she had said it!

"I knew it," Sasuke said, chuckling. "Don't forget you, _huh_? Looks like I'm not the only one that's selfish." Mayu stared at him, brow furrowing in confusion. He only smirked. "But I guess I was wrong. You wouldn't have told me to stay." For a moment his eyes closed. He sighed. "I didn't mean to say that we weren't friends. I just wanted see if you were the same."

"The same…? The same as who?"

"Sakura," he answered. Mayu frowned. "She said she loved me. She said if I were to stay, she would make me happy. She said she would do anything if I stayed with her… or at the very least take her with me." A genuine smile crossed his face. "But you… You'd let me go…" Sasuke lifted his torso. Mayu didn't move from her place on top of him. "For some reason, that has a bigger impact on me than anything Sakura said." He reached up, palm cupping her cheek. Mayu didn't think anything of it. After all, she had done it to him several times. Still, a warm sensation had replaced the ache in her chest. "Mayu…" Her insides felt as though they were shivering. "I…" He moved closer. "I've-"

He didn't finish for his lips were already covering hers. Mayu's squeak of surprise was muffled. Sasuke merely ignored it. He shut his eyes as he pressed harder. Her lips were warm. Soft, too. The feeling spread from her lips and into his body. He knew it. Kissing Mayu made him feel so relaxed. It was as if all the problems bottled up within him were gone. There was only her. Sasuke pulled back. He swallowed hard. Mayu had the blankest look on her face. He squinted. There was a blush, faintly visible on her brown cheeks. Was that a good sign? At this point, he panicked. His heart rate accelerated as he continued to stare at her expression. His dark eyes shifted down to her lips. They were partially apart. His body felt like it was about to convulse. This level of panic—he had never experienced it before. Sasuke licked his lips. He didn't necessarily like that feeling, so in order to get rid of it he kissed her again.

The second kiss nearly broke her brain. She had been trying to figure out exactly why Uchiha Sasuke had kissed her. Mayu had believed he had become nervous about what he was going to say and had accidently leaned forward, causing their lips to collide. However, he had reared back only to kiss her _again_. Last time, her heart had gone crazy, beating against her ribcage as though it was some untamed animal. This time, though, it felt as though it had stopped completely. But that couldn't be the case. She was still alive, right? Lightheaded, but _alive_, right? Shivers surged down her spine, spreading the tingling feeling all throughout her body. This feeling was completely new—completely foreign. Given her circumstances, Mayu usually embraced foreign things with an enthusiastic grin. However, this was different. Too different. She didn't—no, _couldn't_—understand this sudden display. So what would Ishikari Mayu do in this type of situation?

Scream.

0-0


	15. Chapter 15

Sasuke was panicking, way more than he had before. Even after he had reared his head back in surprise, Mayu was still screaming her head off. He did not know what to do. He had never kissed another person before, but surely this wasn't the right response. His mother had never screamed when his father had kissed her. Maybe he did it wrong… "_Uh_… Mayu…? Cut it out!" He tried to get her to calm down. She didn't. He smacked her cheek. The screaming abruptly stopped. The Uchiha sighed out in relief. Mayu blinked several times, and then cupped her own stinging cheek. She blinked again.

"_Uwaa_…!" She hurriedly scurried off the ninja. She crawled backwards until her back hit the base of a tree. A shaky finger was pointed in his direction. "Y-Y-Y-You just…!" Sasuke slowly stood up. He moved quickly, appearing in front of her. Just as quickly, he grabbed her wrist, pulling her up. Mayu gasped and took a step back. "S-Sasuke…? You-"

"I kissed you," he interrupted.

"B-B-But wh-why?"

He embraced her again. The girl's entire body tensed. "Mayu…" Sasuke whispered. His grip on her increased, but not painfully so. He made the cursed mark recede. Something was telling him that Mayu didn't quite like the look. Maybe that's what she screamed. No. He understood why she screamed now. The kiss he had given her was too unexpected. The second kiss must have sent her over the edge. He had to explain to her so that she would completely calm down. Mayu was idiotic at times, but she was logical, too. An explanation would put her mind at ease. Just enough to stop her stuttering at least. It was fairly annoying, especially since she resembled Hinata. Sasuke pulled back, yet kept his hands on her shoulders. "All childish games aside… I…" He couldn't keep the blush from his cheeks. The tip of his tongue grazed against his upper front teeth. "I've fallen for you. I lo-love you."

"What?" At least the stutter was gone. She was coming back. "You love me?" Sasuke stiffly nodded his head. Mayu blinked twice. Her mouth opened, and then closed. Her eyebrows furrowed. She repeated these actions several times. Finally, she began to speak. "Sasuke-" However, she was interrupted.

"SASUKE! MAYU!" Uzumaki Naruto had shouted their names.

"Damn it!" Sasuke clicked his tongue, and then grabbed Mayu's wrist. "Let's go!" He began to run, forcing the girl to follow after him. They moved across the forest floor, still hearing the blond calling after them. _"Typical Naruto—so damn persistent…"_ he thought, and then smirked. The two had burst through the forest and were now running in a clearing.

"Why are you running away?" Mayu called up to him.

"Isn't it obvious?" he said back. "Naruto's only going to interfere!"

"With what?"

"I want to know your answer!"

Mayu tugged her arm free and came to a stop. This caused Sasuke to halt his movements as well. He turned to face her. "My answer…?" She said it as if she hadn't understood what he meant. This only made the young ninja clench his teeth. How could she be so dense? "My answer to you suddenly kissing me?" Sasuke's eyes went wide. He definitely wouldn't keep the blush from his face. "Or my answer to you proclaiming your love for me?" He could feel his face grower hotter and hotter with each word she spoke. He'd probably never understand how she switched so quickly. Mayu scratched her cheek and averted her eyes. "Honestly, I don't know how to answer either question."

Sasuke swallowed hard. That was the thing about Mayu. She didn't run on emotions. Well, she did get angry. But honestly, that was the only passionate emotion she had shown him. Wait—that wasn't true. Just a few minutes ago, she had shown her tears. All because of the friendships she had gained. She thought they had ended based purely on her assumptions. Hinata wasn't necessarily weak. She couldn't be dead. And he… Well, he didn't want their friendship to come to an end either. Not entirely. "Mayu…" He took a step forward. "I-" Once again, the shouting of Uzumaki Naruto disrupted. His dark eyes glared over in the blonde's direction. His teammate had just left the cover of the trees. He appeared out of breath. Sasuke clicked his tongue, and then turned back to Mayu. She hadn't looked away from him even with Naruto's appearance. This was slightly intimidating.

"Why do you like me?" she questioned. Sasuke blinked in surprise. He hadn't expected that. Well, he hadn't expected a lot of things. Her screaming for instance. Now, she appeared calm and truly curious about his answer. "I mean, I know I'm totally awesome-" Sasuke resisted scowling. "-But _you_ said you love me. Uchiha Sasuke _loving_ someone else, in that way, I… don't understand why. So answer me. Why do you like me?" He opened his mouth to reply. However, there was nothing. Blinking, he tried again. Still, there were no words. He couldn't think of anything to say. He definitely hadn't been expecting this. Of course he knew that he did love Mayu. She was the only girl who could make his heartbeat sound so close to his ears. But that wasn't an answer. Why _did_ he love her?

"I… I don't know," Sasuke finally replied.

"I see," Mayu muttered. She took a step backwards. Sasuke's eyes widen as a familiar feeling overwhelmed him—absolute dread. He had felt this way before. And she was the reason it happened last time, too. She had asked him if he had wanted her to hate him. It was the most terrifying feeling to have. Why? Why was it like this?

_You'll regret saying that! One day, you'll find yourself in love, too!_

Sasuke clenched his teeth, suddenly remembering his female teammate's words. It had pissed him off before. No, actually, he felt indifference towards her words concerning love. After all, he hadn't been interested in it. He narrowed his eyes and shifted his gaze to the grass below. He couldn't exactly base his love for her on her looks. Even if it was a stupid reason to fall for someone. He had no idea what she really looked like except that she had dark skin and blue eyes. Could it have been for her personality? It wasn't exactly award-winning. Sometimes she drove him insane with her antics. He didn't know. He didn't know why he had fallen for Mayu.

_And when you can't find any logical reason why, you'll regret what you just said!_

Stupid Sakura. Why did she have to right all the damn time? Now that Mayu needed an explanation as to 'why,' he couldn't give her one. Sasuke swallowed. "Listen… Just because I can't give you a good reason, doesn't mean that I'm wrong about this," he said. Her blue Hyuga eyes looked his way again. He met her gaze. Wanting to smack himself for regurgitating Sakura's words, he continued. "Love doesn't need an explanation. My feelings might not make sense to you now, but I'm serious." Sasuke reached into his pocket, pulling out the heart-shaped frame Mayu had thrown at him earlier. She had told him the man responsible for the frame had thought they were a couple. It was no wonder. Mayu had stood so close to him. Her left cheek had been pressed against his right. She had grinned and looked directly at the camera. He, on the other hand, had averted his eyes and frowned. Still, there had been an undeniable blush, streaking across his face. Again his eyes looked to her. "I know what I feel for you is real."

"Sasuke, I'm not denying your feelings," Mayu stated. He seemed surprised by her response. She ignored his expression, though, and crossed her arms. "I'm just… shocked, that's all. You saying stuff like this is kinda freaky… I kinda want emo Sasuke back." She mumbled the last part.

"What'd you say?"

"Nothing," Mayu quickly replied. She then coughed. "Anyway… Just so we're clear… You said that you didn't think of me as a friend anymore because your feelings for me evolved into something more, right?" His cheeks turned pink. But he nodded. Mayu almost released a sigh of relief. Here she was thinking that he didn't want _anything_ to do with her. "Sasuke, you idiot! Be more specific next time! It felt like I was going to have a heart attack! Stupid bird brain!" Her arms wrapped around his neck and she pulled him into her embrace. "Scaring me like that—I should hit you!" She squeezed her eyes shut and held him tighter. This was such a huge relief.

"Ma-Mayu…!" Sasuke choked out. Her arms fell from around his neck. She stepped away. The blush on his face had intensified in color. "Does th-this mean you like me, too?" Mayu grimaced, but fortunately he didn't see because his dark eyes had fixed themselves on the ground. "If it does… then I'll come back." He cleared his throat and looked back up.

"SHUT THE FRONT DOOR!" Naruto shouted. Mayu jumped at the volume of the blonde's voice. She glanced back at him. She had forgotten he was there. Her eyes slid back to the Uchiha. He was waiting for an answer. Could this be an opportunity knocking? All she had to do is say three little words and Sasuke would willingly come back to the village? That would solve a lot of problems…

"Well, then… yeah, I love you!" Mayu shrugged her shoulders. Apparently, Sasuke wasn't pleased by her answer at all.

"Not like that!"

"What's wrong with the way I said it?" she questioned. "I said it. That's all that matters."

"No! Do you think this is a game?" Sasuke yelled. He grabbed her biceps and pulled her closer. Their noses were almost touching. Mayu felt her face explode with warmth. "I want you to be my _wife_!" Her mouth went dry. That was going a little bit too far, right? "Seriously… You don't have any feelings for me other than friendship?"

"I… I don't know!" She squeezed your eyes shut. _Ba-Bump_. What was that? "You suddenly kissed me and tell me you love me, but… This is too sudden for me! How am I _supposed_ to think with that onslaught of emotion?"

"I just want to know how you feel about me," Sasuke murmured. Mayu slowly opened her eyes and locked gazes with him. He licked his lips. _Ba-Bump_. There it was again. Why did it seem like she was the only one to hear it? "I thought that maybe you did like me, too. You wouldn't have come this far if you didn't."

"I came for answers as to why you left that stupid note and maybe beat you up, too," she corrected. Sasuke smirked. "What?"

"I left the note _because_ I knew you would come. I knew that you would get angry enough to land yourself a spot on the team sent to get me," he stated. "Mayu, I stopped considering you as my friend when I realized that I was in love with you. Can you really say that your feelings towards me didn't change as well?" _Ba-bump_. _Ba-bump_. Mayu shook her head.

"I don't know," she repeated. "I just don't-" Her sentence was cut off by Sasuke's lips. He had pressed hard. Mayu's eyes widened. Just like before, a sensation spread throughout her body. However, it wasn't warm like before. It was _hot_—too hot. _Ba-bump_. _Ba-bump_. _Ba-bump_. The noise was getting fairly annoying. She pushed him away. "I _just_ said that I didn't know and you kiss me _again_! Do you _want_ me to get confused?"

"I don't know what I'm doing! This is the first time I've felt this way—I'm flustered, okay?"

_Ba-bump_. Mayu's expression softened. She had only seen Sasuke behave like this once or twice before. He had had a nightmare awhile back. She had fortunately been sleeping at his house due to some coercion. He had awakened screaming his head off. Thinking he was being brutally murdered, she had rushed into his room. The moment he saw her, he had leapt from his bed and tackled her. Sasuke had been shaking violently. But had calm down after she had awkwardly patted his back. He had fallen asleep in her arms. _Ba-bump_. And didn't remember a thing about it the next morning. Damn… That was the first time she had seen him so vulnerable, and he didn't even remember. Since that time, whenever she had slept over, she had made a big deal about them sleeping separately. She had done it because she wanted to see if it was a onetime thing. It was because of this that she had seen another side of Sasuke.

"Sasuke," she called to him. Dark eyes snapped to her. _Ba-bump_._ Ba-bump_. "I know what you do when you're embarrassed. I know what you do in your free time. I've heard you talk about things other than getting stronger. I've heard you laugh so hard that you almost threw up. I know how vulnerable you sometimes look in your sleep." At this, the Uchiha furrowed his brow. "I know you… I know so much about you." Mayu narrowed her eyes. "Is it safe to assume that you know me as well?"

"Well… yeah," he answered. "I'm not going to like a person who I don't know." _Ba-bump. Ba-bump. Ba-bump. Ba-bump_. It was increasing in duration. Damn it. Was that her heart? Her chest—there was a dull ache there. Unlike before, though, it was almost… pleasant? "Why are you saying this?" She didn't answer.

"We fight a lot, don't we?"

"So what…? Does that matter?"

"I guess not…" Mayu murmured. "Okay…" She crossed her arms. "I'll fall for you."

"_Huh_?" This statement seemed to surprise both ninja present. _Hm_… She had forgotten about Naruto again. The blond finally jogged over. "_Uh_, Mayu… I'm not really surprise at the development, but this is… I mean, this situation is weird!" he told her. She blinked, turning to him.

"Naruto. Sasuke says he loves me, and I don't dislike him. Why would I give a rejection?" Mayu questioned. "I could grow to love him as much as he loves me. That's the point of being in a relationship, right? Besides, he says he's coming back." Naruto frowned still a bit confused.

"You're not doing this just so he would come home?"

"I told you that I had no intention of stopping him in the first place," Mayu reminded. "Speaking of which, he's not coming back with us right now. Isn't that right, Sasuke?" She turned her blue eyes to the Uchiha, who involuntarily flinched, probably because of Naruto scream of 'WHAT?' "Tell us what your intentions truly are." The young shinobi lowered his head for a moment.

"I'm sorry about the trouble I've caused. The others, who came on this mission, are probably hurt right now," he said. "But to reach this point, it had to happen. I needed this whole situation to look as authentic as possible."

"What? Authentic?" Naruto scratched the back of his head.

"Yes. This whole time, my intention was to use Orochimaru not only as a power source, but as a source of information as well," Sasuke stated. The blond furrowed his brow, while the girl narrowed her eyes. "A spy, you idiots! I'm going to spy on the Sound for the Leaf." Exasperated, the ninja nearly threw his arms up in the air. Both of them _oooooh_'d in unison. He resisted the urge to smack his forehead. "Orochimaru… That is the man who killed the Third and nearly destroyed the Leaf village. I can't forget about that." His eyes slid to Mayu. "And besides," he muttered. "He's also the man you want dead, isn't he?" Blanching, Mayu averted her eyes. "Don't deny it. The last time we met, I made the connection. Orochimaru is the stranger you want to kill because he killed someone important to you and took away someone you admired, right? Every time he was mentioned, your expression would transform into a look of fury. I can't believe I didn't notice it sooner. Mayu, I will help you get your revenge against that man. Believe in me."

"_It… kinda feels like I'm intruding…"_ Naruto thought, feeling nervous. This atmosphere seemed like it was surrounding Mayu and Sasuke, leaving him out of it. He couldn't say a word as the two stared at one another. The wind suddenly picked up, causing him to shiver. However, his former teammates continued to lock gazes. Neji had been wrong. Sasuke wasn't in darkness. Not anymore. That's right… Sasuke was leaving, but he wasn't abandoning anything. Mayu had been Sakura before. Unlike him, who was too prideful to admit that he thought of Sasuke as a friend, she proudly tried to get the lonely Uchiha to open up. And she had succeeded. What was it about Mayu? An image of Sakura appeared in his mind. She had appeared quite angry… for him.

_Hey! Knock it off with the comments, old man! I'm sick of you insulting my teammate! How dare you, a stranger, trample over his dream? Say something again, and I will ninja kick your ass to the Land of Waves! Got it? _

He had been so shocked that she had defended him against Tazuna. But he was happy, too. It had been at that moment that he considered—truly considered Sakura as a friend. But it wasn't Sakura, was it? It was Mayu. That first month had been Mayu. And in that first month, she had helped him. Sasuke, too. His blue eyes lowered to the swaying grass. This was it. _"What would it be like if Mayu had stayed? Would I have considered her as a sister like I consider Sasuke a brother?"_

"_Huh_…? You're so quiet, Mayu. That's not like you." Sasuke smirked. "Are you impressed that I'm not the same stupid, selfish, power-hungry boy that doesn't know anything?"

"So you've thought this far ahead?" She slowly walked towards him. "You don't see just the past anymore? You can see a future, too?" Mayu stood right in front of him. "Yeah, I guess I am impressed." She smiled. _"I understand now…"_ she thought. A lot of things didn't change because of her. However, she did manage to transform him. Whether it was love or her friendship that did this, it didn't matter. Sasuke had become a person she could truly respect. Instead of thinking of only himself, he was thinking of the entire village… and her. _"I wonder if I could have transformed his perception sooner if I had remained in Sakura's body…"_

"Do you love me now?" Sasuke questioned. The smirk didn't leave his face. Many months had gone by since he was first introduced to the girl known as Ishikari Mayu. Whether or not he cared to admit, they had gotten closer since then. She wasn't the only one responsible, but it was her determined hand that had pulled him from… drowning within his past. Where would he be if she were just another girl? Where would he be if he didn't see a future with her? Honestly, he didn't want to think about it. She was in his future. That's all that mattered. _"If she had stayed, we'd probably be closer,"_ he thought.

"Do I love you now?" Mayu repeated. "Get real, bird brain. I'm only thirteen—much too young to fall in love."

"Age is just a number," Sasuke retorted. He leaned forward, but her hand shot up and covered his mouth. His brow furrowed in confusion.

"You might have surprised me the other three times, but I'm not going to let you get the drop on me anymore," Mayu told him. She could barely understand his muffled response. "Sorry, I'm not going to let you kiss me anymore." Her eyes narrowed. "It would be too weird since it'll be like you're kissing Hinata."

"I don't like the sound of that either," Naruto muttered. He was ignored. Sasuke slapped her hand away from his mouth.

"I'm about to leave, on a dangerous mission, and I'll be gone for who knows how long—and I can't even have a goodbye kiss?" he asked. His eyebrow twitched. "That's not fair."

"Wait a minute!" Naruto spoke up again; this time, his voice was louder than it needed to be. Both Sasuke and Mayu turned his way. "If this was all a part of your plan, then me, too? I was supposed to be here, too?" The Uchiha smirked.

"Of course. I knew that, as my best friend, you would come for me, too," he stated. Naruto's lips parted as his eyes expanded. His entire body tensed as if waiting for the '_haha_! Yeah right, loser!' as the follow up. But no… Sasuke continued to smirk. "You've become my best friend, Naruto." His confirmation almost caused tears to spill. "That's exactly what I needed."

"Sasuke… you…" Honestly, the blond ninja didn't know what to say. "Can… Can I hug you?"

"… No, I'm going to pass on that one."

Mayu snickered. "I can't believe this," she shook her head. Both ninja turned to her. "You made up such an elaborate plan just to tell us that these confessions? You are so dramatic, Sasuke!" The Uchiha scoffed and slid his tongue over his front teeth. "So I'm assuming that no one can know of this information?"

"That's right… partially," he replied. Mayu and Naruto frowned. "What I'm doing can't be known to anyone other than the three of us. Well, there is one other person." His dark eyes turned to Naruto. "That's when you come in. I know that you're closer to the Fifth more than any other ninja. If _you_ tell her what I'm doing, then she won't label me as a missing-nin. Also, the council will have hopes for the Sharingan returning to the village. They will definitely agree with her decision. But other than us four, no one else can know. You have to _make sure_ you get that point across to her. My position as Orochimaru's next vassal and loyal underling cannot be compromised because of loose mouths." Mayu crossed her arms.

"This sounds more and more serious as you keep talking, Sasuke," she remarked. "I have a feeling that something is not right."

"You're not the only one," he stated. "I've been having the same feeling for awhile now. And what was that about one of the ninja's iron rule?"

"Once a ninja feels there's something wrong, he or she must prepare for it before it's too late," Naruto remembered. "You're preparing?"

"Listen, I've been thinking a lot lately," Sasuke stated.

"Clear-_ly_!"

Ignoring Mayu for a moment, Sasuke continued. "Now, these are just three theories of mine, but they could be, at least, partially true. The first one deals with you, Naruto." The furrowed his brow, yet said nothing. "Don't get offended about what I'm going to say, but… there is no way a dead-last loser could make it this far."

"What'd you say?" Naruto nearly hissed in fury. Mayu cuffed the back of his head.

"He said don't get offended. Cool it, Naruto," she told him. "Continue," she gestured for the Uchiha to keep going. Frankly, Mayu was more than a little curious about these theories Sasuke had come up with just based on his thought process. She was quite intrigued by his unclouded—unselfish way of thinking already. The girl found herself smiling. _"I just might love you already, Sasuke…"_ she thought. Noticing the sudden smile, the young Uchiha cleared his throat and looked away for a moment.

"As I was saying, someone with your background couldn't possibly make it this far," he went on. "You're an orphan without a prestigious family name. The way the Academy works is the teachers focus on the children hailing from clans, especially clans that have been in the ninja career for generations. These kids come first when it comes to what they learn. They had taught more as there are more expectations put upon them. Examples would include the Hyuga clan, Inuzuka clan, Nara clan, Yamanaka clan—actually pretty much everyone that made the cut for genin. Then they are the normal kids—their focus would be on academics. These kids aren't really pushed as much. Sakura would be a good example of this. As she is not from a ninja family, all she had to fall back on was studying—her smarts was the only thing she had going for her when she was fresh out of the Academy. Basically, the system divides the class into two groups based on names alone. And then there's you, Naruto." Sasuke took this time to build suspense. Mayu almost rolled her eyes. The guy really was dramatic. Drama queen… "You didn't fit into either category. Back then, I did find myself wondering why you were treated differently. There were plenty of other orphans, but you were the only one who received… special treatment."

"Special treatment…?" A bitter smiled appeared on Naruto's face. "I think you got me confused with someone else."

"There's no mistake," Sasuke said. "First day of classes, you raised your hand a lot. No matter how many times you raised your hand to ask a question, none of the teachers besides Iruka called on you. Second day of classes, nothing… You stopped raising your hand. After that, you became the class clown. All but Iruka ignored you all together unless they were reprimanding you for something. You were quickly labeled as the fool of our year. Then, the title of Dead Last was given to you." His eyebrows knitted together. "That's the part that doesn't make sense."

"What do you mean?" Mayu asked.

"Remember when we were on our way to the Land of Waves? After we were attacked the first time?" Sasuke questioned. "Naruto said that he trained alone for _hours_. Practicing for that long, he would have, at least, gradually improved. He _should not_have been dead last, especially since our grades weren't based on purely academics. Naruto wasn't lying or exaggerating. He has the stamina to back up that 'training for hours' statement."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Mayu scratched her cheek, glancing back at the blond. She was the only one to notice him clutching the fabric that covered his stomach. Her blue Hyuga eyes shifted back to Sasuke. He was staring at the ground. "But so what? What does this have to do with your theory—whatever it may be?"

"I'm getting to that," Sasuke muttered. He looked back up. "While he was in the Academy is progress was static. However, once he was assigned a team, it was uphill from there. His progress nearly skyrocketed. Why the sudden change? How could someone with the lowest grades defeat a number of strong people mere _months_ after graduation? The only conclusion I can come up with is that the teachers were purposefully holding Naruto back, harshly grading him, and humiliating him, probably as in an effort to make him give up. His form was so bad because no one had ever taught him anything." Mayu nodded in agreement. She had made that observation before when Naruto had tried to fight Kakashi alone. "But that just brought up more questions. Why Naruto? Why would they set a random orphan up to fail? What was it about him that made our teachers _hate_ him? So I went back, trying to figure out what he could have possibly done to receive such contempt. I didn't find anything."

"What?" This seemed to surprise Naruto as well.

"You have no records before you entered the Academy, Naruto," Sasuke said. "It's like you didn't exist before then. You don't have a birth certificate, yet your birthday is October 10th… That's the same day the Nine-Tailed Fox attacked our village, thirteen years ago."

"_He figured it out?"_ Mayu thought. Sure, Sasuke was smart, but to actually deduce such information from mere inquiries—it was amazing. Naruto seemed to be paralyzed by fear. He swallowed hard, waiting for his teammate to continue. "Nine-Tailed Fox…?" Mayu repeated. Sasuke looked her way.

"You wouldn't know about it since you've only been in the Leaf for a little under a year in total," he stated. "But a giant demon came to our village thirteen years ago. Many were killed, including the Fourth Hokage. The stories say that he sacrificed himself, killing the demon fox. For most of my life, I didn't doubt that. However… After fighting Gaara of the Sand village, after he spoke of the demon inside him, I began to doubt that demons could even die, and if they could it certainly wouldn't be by a human's hands."

"Wh-What are you sa-saying?" Naruto stammered.

"I'm saying that the Nine-Tailed beast wasn't killed that night. I'm saying that like Gaara, who has the One-Tailed beast inside of him, a thirteen year old has the Nine-Tailed beast within him as well. The demon fox was sealed in a baby thirteen years ago," Sasuke answered. "And that baby… was you, Naruto."

"_Dun, dun, DUN_!" Mayu exclaimed. The two shinobi looked her away. "What? That was the best dramatic build up I've seen in a long time." They didn't seem to think the way she did. In fact, they almost seemed pissed. "Sorry, tense moment happening—got it. I apologize. Please… continue…" With a roll of his eyes, Sasuke turned back to Naruto.

"It's true, isn't it?" he asked. "You're its jailer."

"You…" Naruto let out a humorless chuckle. "I thought Shikamaru was the smartest person I knew…" His hands clenched at his sides. "So that was your theory, huh? That I was the demon fox this whole time?"

"No," Sasuke said. "My theory was it was sealed inside you. Just because it was sealed inside you, doesn't make you the demon."

"Sasuke…" The blond lowered his eyes to the ground again.

"I already said that you are my best friend. You having a demon won't change anything." The Uchiha frowned. "Although I was pretty pissed and a little jealous about the chakra you possess because of it. Do you know how much I stressed over the fact that you seemed to be stronger than me? I got so many headaches that-"

Mayu grinned, watching Naruto shoot himself forward. Apparently, the blond had decided that he wanted a hug, and he was going to _take it_. The two shinobi were currently wrestling on the ground. Well, Sasuke was wrestling, trying to pry Naruto from his body, while Naruto held on like Sasuke was a lifeline. The girl's eyes followed the movements of them rolling around on the ground. _"This is probably the closest thing to SasuNaru ever… Megumi-chan would be so jealous," _Mayu thought, blinking.

"Get the hell off me!"

"Naruto, please get off the guy," Mayu walked forward. She pulled the blond off the dark-haired shinobi by his collar. "You're interrupting his theory speech."

"But I'm so happy!" Naruto was near tears. Sasuke glowered as he stood up. He dusted himself off and told Naruto to be so happy somewhere not around him. Mayu pressed her lips together. Well, at least his perception changed. He didn't need to completely change… right? Shaking the thought from her mind, she released the blond. He sniffled and wiped under his nose. "So anyway… what were the other ones?" Sasuke coughed into his closed fist.

"Okay, the next one deals with me, and my own clan," he said. "Both of you know what happened, right?" Naruto and Mayu slowly nodded their hands. "Uchiha Itachi killed his entire clan, leaving only me as a survivor." His teeth clenched. "Ever since that night I thought… why? Why would he betray his family? Why did he keep only me alive? Why did he choose that night, six years ago, to carry out the massacre? Why did he do it in the first place?" Sasuke bit his lip. "I was so filled with hatred towards him that even though I questioned his actions, I never really tried to answer any of those questions. He told me that he was testing his abilities." He shook his head and narrowed his eyes. "That had to be lie. If that was a lie, what else covered the truth?"

"A lie…?" Naruto muttered. "Why would it be a lie?"

"Because," Mayu frowned, responding to Naruto's question. "It doesn't make sense for a young ninja like Itachi to suddenly want to know what he's capable of. Generally, a ninja's peak doesn't happen until they're older—much older because they continue to gain experience. As far as prodigies go, it's older—_much_ older."

"A guy like Itachi had to have known this. He would know and understand that he could still gain more power and strength," Sasuke continued. "If he wanted to truly test his capabilities, he would look to seek out more strong people, not kill an entire clan—some of which weren't ninja in the first place. That fact, alone, made me realize that Itachi was lying about his reason. He wouldn't need to test his abilities on civilians."

"Alright, so the guy's a liar, too," Mayu remarked. "Could you possibly be rethinking killing him?"

"Hell no. The bastard's going to pay," Sasuke retorted. The girl rolled her eyes. "Still, everyone in the Uchiha is a variable. There were too many variables for one person to handle. The civilians would have run. The ninja would have fought. At least a group of people would have escaped the massacre while Itachi killed the ninja of the Uchiha clan. However, there were no other survivors other than me, and I returned home late that night. That leads me to believe that-"

"He wasn't the only one," Naruto almost gasped. "There was someone else there, too?"

"That's what I'm thinking, but it's only a theory," Sasuke nodded his head. "If that's the case, there is, at least, one other person there that night, helping Itachi. I want to know who that person is."

"You got some guesses already?" Mayu asked.

"Yeah, and that leads me to my final theory, and it's about you," he answered. The girl looked a bit baffled. "I think that the other person helping Itachi might have been a member of the Ishikari clan."

"That's a rather bold statement, especially they're all dead," Mayu said. "Well, except two of them."

"Three, actually," Sasuke said. "I think you are the daughter of one of the survivors, or, at least, a descendant of the clan." At her dazed and confused look, the Uchiha sighed. "When we visited that home, we learned that there are two other members left alive. However, no one knows where they are. You came to the Leaf village and said you were from some place known as Tok-yo, right? This must be a very small village because it doesn't show up on any map I've looked at." Mayu tried very hard to keep herself from arousing suspicion by trying to look as solemn and serious as Sasuke.

"I can tell you right now that that theory's wrong," she said. "My mother and father do not have blue eyes. And anyway, what's this got to do with why you think one of the clan members helped Itachi that night?"

"Because Itachi actually _knew_ about the clan."

"What?" Naruto was quiet up until the point because he could not for the life of him follow the conversation. "What do you mean knew? Was it a secret?"

"That's right, Naruto," Sasuke replied. "The Ishikari clan was a secret, hidden away from the Leaf village. But Itachi knew and seemed to have known the clan personally."

"He's the one that said the distinct characteristics of clansmen were dark skin and blue eyes," Mayu stated. Her eyes narrowed. "Uchiha Itachi discovered a clan that no one knew about, and you think he convinced one of them to help him slay another clan?"

"It's just a theory, which is why I want you to find out for me," Sasuke stated.

"_Eh_?"

"You're going to be _my_ spy."

"… He's joking, right?" Mayu pointed a finger at Sasuke while staring at Naruto. The blond merely shrugged his shoulders.

"To tell you the truth, you guys lost me at Ishikari clan."

"I'm not joking," Sasuke had to resist rolling his eyes. "I won't be in the Leaf village for quite some time, and I'm not leaving espionage up to _Naruto_." The blond looked highly offended by the implication. "I know you can do it, Mayu. You took a _secret_ file from the Hokage building without anyone realizing it was gone. Lucky or not, that's impressive."

"Can't argue with the facts," Mayu chirped with a grin. "So you want me to be your eyes?"

"Yeah, I want you to find out everything you possible can about the Ishikari clan and the Uchiha clan's relation to each other. You can have full access to the Uchiha district," Sasuke ordered. "If it gets too dangerous, you pull out, understood?"

"Yeah, I got it," she replied. "And after we meet up again, we're exchange information—for real, this time? I'm assuming that you're going to tell us everything you know once you return, right?" Sasuke nodded his head. Then he turned to the blond ninja.

"Actually, when Naruto _catches_ me sometime in the future," he confirmed. "So we're all clear on what we're doing?"

"Crystal," Mayu replied.

"Yup!"

"Let me again say that any information any of us gather will not be told to anyone besides the three of us," Sasuke stressed. "No matter what, only the three of us can know what we're really up to. Trust no one with any information you have concerning us."

"Why are you looking at me?" Mayu glared. The young Uchiha glared right back.

"Because _you're_ the one with the problem," he commented. "I'd bet you crumble like a paper bag if put under interrogation."

"I would no-" A thoughtful appeared. "Actually, you might be right about that." Both Sasuke and Naruto shook their heads. "So… I guess this is it."

"Y-Yeah…" Naruto murmured. "It is… Can I have one last hug?"

"No," Sasuke replied flatly. He even shuddered.

"_Aww_…!" The blonde's shoulders drooped as Sasuke hesitantly slid his eyes over to Mayu. He pressed his lips in a thin line.

"I still want a goodbye kiss," he stated.

"No," Mayu replied in the same tone he had. Sasuke scowled. "But before you go, I do want you to do something."

"And that would be…?"

"I want you to fight me."

"What?"

"I think she said she wants you to fight he-"

"Shut up, Naruto." Sasuke turned back to the girl. "Why?"

"You're the one who said you wanted to make this look as real as possible," Mayu reminded. She shrugged. "No one's going to believe that me and Naruto just _walked_ away without any scratches. So fight me."

"Wouldn't it make more sense if I-" Naruto was rudely interrupted.

"No, you had your chance. I wanna turn now," Mayu said.

"_What am I—a doorknob, now?"_ Sasuke thought. "You know you won't win," he said out loud.

"That's not the point," Mayu stated. "It's not a real fight, after all. I said I wanted to fight you when, and only when, there is no outside help. That curse mark of yours… outside help. Me calling upon another's abilities—that equals outside help, too. Let's call this… a teaser."

"Teaser…?"

"Yeah, the hit motion picture won't happen until later," she explained.

"Fine, come at me," Sasuke beckoned her.

"Okay, but I must warn you not to underestimate what I can do."

"I'm pretty sure the last time I did that, I got beat up, _so_… probably not going to do that this time around." He smirked, and then dropped into a stance. "Naruto, I suggest you give us some space." The blond frowned, rolled his eyes, but complied with the suggestion regardless. Sasuke turned his focus back to Mayu. He lifted his hand, palm up. His four fingers moved back and forth. "Come!" Mayu returned the smirk before she, too, lowered herself into a fighting stance. Her shoulders tensed. Sasuke narrowed his eyes, watching her back leg. It shift slightly, and then the girl shot forward. Predictable. The Uchiha bent his torso back to avoid the swinging right kick. He straightened himself just in time to catch his opponent's left fist. "You're going to have to do better than that, Mayu," he told her.

"Oh, I _plan_ to!" He was promptly kneed in the stomach. Sasuke slid back, coughing out. Having no time to recover, Mayu rammed her fist into his cheek, sending him flying. The young ninja rolled to a stop. On his knees, he wiped his chin with the back of his hand. "You don't have to hold back _too_ much, bird brain. I _know_ what I'm doing!"

"My mistake," Sasuke replied. He smirked again. Slowly, he returned to his feet. With her index finger she gestured for him to make his move. Without warning, Sasuke cut across the field, appearing in front of Mayu within a moment. "Let me return the _favor_!" He punched her stomach, causing the girl to hunch over. This was followed by an uppercut. She soared through the air, and then her back slammed against the unyielding force of the ground. Sasuke leapt up only to descend towards Mayu. His fist outstretched, aiming for her torso. He did not expect for her to recover so fast, though. Her leg came up at the last possible second, nailing his midsection.

With a grunt, Mayu kicked the Uchiha away with her other foot. Both groaned in obvious pain. "Son of a bitch," she grumbled, rolling over. Shaking, she pushed herself from the ground. Despite the pain, the girl released a chuckle. This couldn't be healthy, but she did enjoy it—the thrill. Mayu stood up, only to discover that Sasuke had already gotten to his feet. Admittedly, the curse mark did have its perks. _"Hm… I wonder if that guy's dead, yet…"_ she thought. Her tongue ran over her teeth. There was blood in her mouth. She spit out the bloody saliva, and then returned her focus to Sasuke. Well, at least there was a bruise forming on his face. _"I'll wait just a little while longer before surprising him."_ She hadn't told him, but he had been right about the descendant part of his theory. How else would she be able to use their strange abilities? Besides, she had already come to this conclusion when she had successfully used their jutsu against Jirobo. Either that, or reincarnation really did exist.

Mayu extended her left arm towards Sasuke. Separately, she curled her four fingers. "Come!" she mocked. The Uchiha showed his teeth, and then gave into her mimicking demand. The girl rushed forward at the same time as he. The two collided, blocking and punching, trying to gain an upper hand. Back and forth they went, in pain yet grinning. Naruto closed his eyes and shook his head. They were moving so fast. With one last impact, their movements stopped. Their fingers were clasped together, trying to push against each other. Blood dripped from their chins. Still, the grins remained. They panted heavily, staring into each other's eyes.

"You're… better than I thought. You really haven't been… sitting on your ass," Sasuke remarked.

"You…" Mayu swallowed. "You thought I… lied? Heh, you really are… just a bird brain."

"Quiet, cocoon girl!"

"_Oi_…! You're going to regret that!" They broke away from each other. She smirked. "I have something to show you." Mayu's appearance began to alter. She could feel the change her body was undergoing. Her black hair changed to orange. Her skin color became lighter. Her eyes took on the color of light brown. However, she still retained her Hinata-like resemblance. Mayu looked towards her hand. "It happened," she murmured.

"What? Why do you-?" Sasuke made a face. Obviously he didn't like her new color scheme. "Since when can you do that?"

"Since I realized that I am a descendant of the Ishikari clan," Mayu answered. "This Jirobu guy must be dead since I can transform like this." Yes, the unwilling collaborator had to be near in order to use their abilities. However, if that person becomes one of the dead, then their legacy could continue… at least for a little while. "Let's see how far I can go, ne?"

0-0

Uchiha Itachi suddenly halted all movements. Slowly, his head turned, glancing behind him. His partner, Hoshigaki Kisame stopped as well. His lip twitched, watching the younger shinobi in silence. Finally, he had to ask. "Something wrong?" Without turning to face him, Itachi answered in his usual monotone.

"No." The Uchiha remained where he stood, though.

"Then-"

"Return without me. I will catch up," Itachi interrupted. The younger ninja then began to move again. Without another word, he walked away from his partner. Kisame almost rolled his eyes, and then sighed. Just when he thought he understood Itachi, the genius does something unpredictable.

"_Leader-sama is not going to like this,"_ he thought.

0-0

Mayu shifted her foot forward. Sasuke narrowed his eyes. This wasn't good. He had just about figured out his opponent's capabilities, and then she pulls this. Different appearance met different abilities. Honestly, he didn't know anything about the Ishikari clan. But he did believe they were capable of jutsu. Apparently, they were. And this new look Mayu sported—he had seen it somewhere before. However, at the moment, exactly where he had seen the look eluded him. Probably wasn't important… _"But with her style of fighting, whatever these new abilities are could be trouble."_ He frowned. The only way to learn in this situation was to experience firsthand. "Bring it on, Mayu."

"You got it!"

Using her chakra as a booster, the girl launched ahead, arm reared back in preparation of throwing a punch. Sasuke slid his right leg back in order to have as much balance as possible. His eyes widened. Mayu had suddenly disappeared from his sight. He felt her presence behind him, yet it was too late to do anything. Pain registered in his brain as he soared through the air. She had kicked him in his side. And it hurt like a bitch! _"Faster _and_ stronger?"_ Sasuke thought, feeling as though puke was going to show up. He breathed heavily and swallowed hard. _"No… Not faster… She used chakra again at the last second."_ He squeezed his eyes shut. His body probably wouldn't be able to handle too many of those blows from her. Then again, he hadn't used the cursed mark yet. In fact, it was still sealed. He didn't want to use _that_ on her. Sasuke swallowed again, picking himself up from the ground. He opened his eyes, locking eyes with his opponent.

"_Oh_…? You're using the Sharingan?" Mayu murmured. Even from this distance, he could clearly make out her lips forming the sentence. "I said fight me, not woo me, you know." Sasuke couldn't help but smirk. Becoming flattered because he was using his advantage against her—honestly, was she even a girl? She definitely wasn't normal, that's for sure.

"_Who's wooing who?"_ The young Uchiha's lip twitched. He took a step towards the fighter. "Maybe we should end it here, Mayu. At our current levels it would be pointless to continue. Both of us look beat up as it is," Sasuke spoke his suggestion out loud. "Just how long can you keep that form?"

"You're just saying that because you don't wanna be hit again, aren't you?"

"Par… Partially," Sasuke admitted this to himself. That kick of hers—God! Imagining a well-aimed punch from her, in this altered form, did not seem the least bit appealing. His body might not make it all the way to Orochimaru. Luckily, it didn't seem as though Mayu or Naruto could read lips. "For now, let's stop the 'teaser.' We'll pick back up at a later time." The girl frowned, but nodded. Gradually, her appearance shifted back to what he was accustomed to. "Good…" His eyes reverted back to onyx. He didn't want to waste anymore chakra than he needed to.

"So you're leaving now…?" Mayu questioned. Sasuke slowly nodded his head. She walked towards him. "Don't be gone too long then, alright?" Again, the Uchiha nodded his head. The girl's eyelids lowered a bit. She sighed through her nostrils. Then she outstretched her hand. Sasuke's eyebrows rose. "Your headband… Give it to me."

"So demanding…" He almost rolled his eyes. However, his arms reached behind him to pull the knot loose. This movement caused pain in his torso, but he tried not to show it. Something wet touched his ear. He blinked, and then looked up. More drops fell from the sky. "Rain…"

"_Ah_… I didn't even realize it had gotten so dark," Mayu commented. She, too, had looked up. Sasuke returned his eyes back to the girl. The speed of the rain increased. The drops also increased in numbers, too. Finally, her blue eyes met his gaze again. This was the end. This was it. Mayu smiled at him, and then wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him into another hug. "You're leaving…" He heard her whisper above the rain. "But it's for all the right reasons. Thank you for showing me that I do affect you—showing me that I'm not some helpless girl trying to change-" Sasuke embraced her as well, cutting her off.

"You don't need to talk anymore… I know," he told her. The young Uchiha felt Mayu untying the knot. She pulled away from him, gripping the cloth of his Leaf headband. Her smile turned into a grin. As he stared at her, Sasuke couldn't help the smile that crossed his face. _"I won't do as you want me to," _he thought. _"I want… I want to be happy after my revenge is complete. I want to live on with a future. You can't control me anymore… Uchiha Itachi."_

"Sasuke…!" Naruto shouted. His dark eyes turned to the blond ninja. He rushed towards the two. Sasuke held out his arm, clenching his fist. Naruto's eyes widened, and then a smile appeared. He, too, extended his arm, bumping his fist against the Uchiha's. "I was too proud before… but… I'll miss you… best friend." The two shinobi dropped their arms in unison.

"_Ah_," Sasuke nodded. He smiled one last time, and then lowered his eyes to ground. Without warning, his disappeared, and then reappeared behind the blond shinobi. As expected, he turned his head slightly, giving Sasuke the opening he needed. A sharp blow to his temple caused Naruto to fall unconscious. Mayu winced as he crumpled to the ground. She then frowned.

"You totally took that from me," she stated. Sasuke smirked. "You better not knock me out, too!"

"Don't be stupid," he muttered. "Anyway, I'm leaving now. Use the kunai in Naruto's weapon's pouch to cut up his jumpsuit."

"Are you saying that because it's atrocious or…"

"Both."

"Thought so." Mayu lowered knelt down next to the unconscious ninja. "To make it look like you fought him, too, right?" she asked as she reached into the pouch. She didn't receive an answer. When she looked up again, he was gone. Mayu pressed her lips into a thin line. _"It started and it ended…"_ she thought. _"But maybe it'll be better… this time around."_ Quickly, she cut and tore holes and slashes into Naruto's clothing before placing the weapon back where it belonged. Kakashi should be arriving soon. Mayu closed her eyes and lied across Naruto's body.

Within a few moments, she could hear footsteps approaching because of the wet grass and muddy ground. She slowly lifted her head to see a dog and a pair of human legs. Her eyes traveled up, trying to look as crestfallen as possible. "Mayu…" His voice was grave. _Hm_… Should she try to force tears or become apathetic? "It is… as I feared?"

"Kakashi-sensei…" She lowered her gaze to the slashes in Naruto's attire. It was a bit easy to go with the flow seeing as how it was raining. Mayu squeezed her eyes shut, clenching Sasuke's headband. Really, with this sullen body language, she didn't really need to talk. That's why he must have left her conscious and not Naruto. The blond would probably make an unconvincing scene by being obnoxious about it.

"I see," Kakashi murmured. He sighed. "I'm sorry that I got here too late."

"It's fine…" Slowly, Mayu stood up. "There was nothing we could do. Sasuke chose his path." She wiped at her face. "We should leave now. My body hurts." Kakashi gave her a look that she clearly understood. He pitied her. _Ah_—well, at least the act was convincing, right? Still, it ticked her off a bit for some reason.

"Are you alright?"

"Do I _look_ alright?"

"Sorry… I suppose interrogating you isn't the best right now," Kakashi apologized. He picked up Naruto, and then positioned him on his back. "Let's head back. Pakkun."

"Yeah." The two—dog and ninja—bounded off, expecting the girl to follow. However, she stood there, staring incredulously at the spot the small dog had disappeared from.

"Did that dog just _talk_?"

"Mayu…!" Kakashi called back. "Let's go!"

"O-Okay!"

0-0

But where's the Valley of the End? _Screw_ the Valley of the End! **There is no epic fight at the Valley**! _Hahaha_! How you like them apples, Madara? Sour ain't they?

Madara: ... I like sour apples.

I really hate this bastard... Anyway, this story is almost complete! What could possibly happen in the next couple of chapters? Wait and find out, fans! It's gonna be a bumpy scramble, baby!

Please review!


	16. Chapter 16

Hyuga Hinata groaned lightly as she opened her eyes. The brightness of the room shined through her blindness. She recognized this discomfort. Where she was now—it must have been a hospital. Was she back in the village? Her eyes suddenly shot open as she sprang forward. "Neji!" she exclaimed. Her breathing increased, trying to remember what had happened. She clenched her fists and lowered her eyes to her lap. She saved him. She had saved her cousin from such a horrible strike. Hinata breathed out in relieved. At that critical moment between life and death, she had managed to summon her inner strength and kill the enemy before he had unleashed his arrow into Neji.

She lied back down on the bed and closed her eyes. Her body felt numb. That had been her first kill. She was a ninja. Was it normal to feel this—to feel guilt for the enemy? The kunoichi frowned. Her clan would most likely scoff at such feelings. Ninja were meant to kill. It was a part of the job. Hopefully, she wouldn't always feel like this. Killing another person was a serious matter. It was much different than from what she had learned. Her teachers had said that killing another could consume and eat away at a normal person. However, this shouldn't happen with ninja, they had said, because they would have to go on killing. Those who trained to be ninja were put through exercises in regards to killing. Hinata realized that those exercises did not help when it came down to it.

Most likely, she would never get used to the act of killing. However, if it was to protect someone precious to her, then she would do it again. And again. And again. The enemy would surely have her condolences, but they would not have the lives of those she aimed to protect. With a nod of resolute, Hinata finally relaxed her body. It was probably not a good idea to have a tense body at the moment. The bindings around her reminded her of the injuries she had obtained because of the fight. Not just her, but Neji had sustained serious injury as well. In the end, she had fallen unconscious. Before she completely slipped from consciousness, she felt the presence of Neji near her. He was fine. Well, mostly.

"I wonder… if everyone else is fine," Hinata murmured. The kunoichi suddenly heard a person clearing their throat. She blinked. She hadn't noticed anyone in the room with her. The sound came again. Hinata's cheeks flushed in embarrassment. "Ma-Mayu-san…?" she whispered, sitting up.

**Who else would it be? Honestly, Hinata-chan, I feel **_**so**_** unloved!**

"_I apologize… So many things have happened."_ Her mind guest did not respond. Hinata bit her lower lip. "_Do you know if everyone's okay?"_ Mayu gave a negative answer, telling her that she had to go into hiding once the medic ninja had shown up. Apparently, she had gone into a state of unconsciousness upon entering Hinata's body. She had woken up seconds after Hinata did. _"So Naruto-kun is all right?"_ Mayu's snickering caused a red blush. The kunoichi cleared her throat and closed her eyes for a moment. _"And… And the mission? What of Sasuke-san?"_

… **The mission was unsuccessful. Sasuke is gone.**

Hinata frowned. Her poor friend. She sounded so despondent. The Hyuga blinked. Almost unbelievably so… _"I thought it wasn't your intention to bring him back?"_ Her mind guest chose not to response. _"Mayu-san… I am sorry this happened. I know that you and Sasuke-san were close."_

**Yeah… Shame about what happened.**

What should she do? As a friend, Hinata wanted nothing more than to comfort her. However, Mayu didn't seem like she _wanted_ to be comforted. She wished she could do something for her mind guest. A depressed Mayu was not normal, and honestly she probably wouldn't know how to handle that. Fortunately, a distraction was provided by the door opening. Her eyes grew wide and she almost gasped at the sight of Hyuga Hiashi quickly moving towards the bedside. "Fa-Father…?" she squeaked. The older Hyuga gave a curt nod before sitting on the bed. His back was to her. His hands were clenching his knees. Hinata's lips parted as she blinked. This was the first time she had seen her father look… weary.

"I heard that you were not originally authorized to go on this mission," he said. Hinata quickly shifted her eyes to her lap again. She nodded her head and stammered out a confirmation. For awhile, her father didn't speak. "It was a dangerous mission. Knowing this, you went along anyway?" Hiashi asked.

"Of course, father," Hinata replied.

"You almost died…"

"It was a risk I took for Neji."

"Hinata…" Her father's shoulders slouched as he breathed out slowly. "You are the heiress to the Hyuga clan. Live properly from now on." Then he stood up and briskly walked out of the room. Hinata blinked. If she hadn't known her father well, she would have been confused about his actions. Mayu was certainly confused and didn't mind her opinion.

**What the hell was that? Hinata, your dad's gone crazy!**

Once the kunoichi was sure her father was out of range, she smiled. No, her father was not crazy. That's just the way he was. "He… He just acknowledged me," Hinata murmured. "I have made my father proud." That recognition alone put aside thoughts of guilt for the enemy she had killed. She hoped that she would continue to impress her father in the future. Sighing, she fell back against the bed. The smile on her face widened. The interaction, however small, had just boosted her self-esteem immensely. Ignoring the sudden ranting from her mind guest, Hinata closed her eyes, trying to block out the noise.

She didn't know how long she ranted and rave, but eventually she began to drift. That's exactly what Mayu had hoped for her to do. Actually, she had been a bit miffed that the kunoichi's father could boost her ego with a few words when it had taken months for Mayu to get it the same result. Scoffing, the girl sat up. Hinata, now completely asleep, was ignorant of the fact that her body was being used. Mayu removed the cover from her legs and moved to get up from the bed. At a leisure pace, she walked over to the window.

The girl slid back the curtains, and then the window. A soft breeze came into the room. Mayu shut her eyes and breathed in. The wind stopped. Gradually, her eyes opened again. She wondered how long it had been since she had seen Sasuke… and how much time would pass before she saw him again. Months, years, an entire decade…? At this point, there was no telling. Mayu shook her head. What was she thinking? Of course it wouldn't take an entire decade. Naruto wouldn't allow that to happen. The blond was not going to allow someone, who had given him the title of best friend, to stay away for so long.

Whatever the time would be, she had work to do. As soon as Hinata was out of the hospital, she would get started. Uchiha and Ishikari, _huh_? She couldn't say she wasn't curious about the whole thing. Apparently, they were two clans that weren't supposed to clash, and yet they did, resulting in the end of both clans. Mayu snorted. If she wasn't curious by nature, she wouldn't get involved. But since she was, and Sasuke had asked her, she had no choice.

The door to her room suddenly slid open. Mayu turned her head a bit. Nara Shikamaru, followed by Uzumaki Naruto, entered the room. The girl fully turned to face the two. Both shinobi looked fine. Well, except the index finger belonging to the Nara. The appendage was wrapped and held straight by a splint. Other than that, he was fine. Naruto adorned new clothes since his usual attire had been torn—a green shirt and white shorts. "So you're awake, after all," Shikamaru greeted. Mayu fully turned to return the greeting. She nodded her head. "So which one are you?" He sat down on the bed.

"Hinata's asleep," Mayu answered. "Before you ask, she's doing great." Naruto closed his mouth and frowned. "What about everyone else? Hinata told me that Neji was okay, but since the group gradually broke up, I have no idea about the others." The chuunin let out a slow sigh.

"Naruto and I are the only ones who pretty much came out of this without a lot of damage," Shikamaru stated. "Chouji had the most serious injuries. At one point, they didn't think he would make it. But in the end, he came through. He's on his way to a full recovery." His fingers clasped together, being careful to avoid his fracture. "Hinata and Neji had serious injuries as well, but none of those injuries was life threatening. Kiba, too, but he's alright. With a bit of luck, all of you could be out of the hospital within a few months." Light brown eyes slid in her direction. "Naruto told me that he didn't end up fighting Sasuke, and it was you. You should have let Naruto fight him instead. Maybe he could have actually brought him back. If you, his girlfriend, couldn't convince him then you should have let the boys fight it out."

Mayu rolled her eyes. Shikamaru's cynical view of women was a bit annoying. "Yeah, whatever," she replied. The chuunin frowned at her impassive response. "There's nothing to do about it now. The guy still got away." Shikamaru narrowed his eyes, commenting that she—and Naruto seemed way to laidback about the situation. It was then that the blond obnoxiously tried to convince the Nara otherwise.

"But I _am_ upset! My best friend… He _left_ me!" The shinobi even attempted to swoon and produce tears. Before he could continue to make a fool of himself, and possibly blow their lie, Mayu elbowed his side. Naruto groaned and fell over. Ignoring his pain filled wails, Mayu turned her eyes to Shikamaru.

"The reason I'm so laidback about it because I knew this was going to happen." At his incredulous look, she scoffed and crossed her arms. "I didn't go on the mission to retrieve him. Sasuke had made his decision, and I wasn't planning to make him change his mind. I knew and accepted this before I became a part of the team. I just wanted to know how pissed I was, that's all." For a moment, the chuunin didn't reply. Then he sighed heavily, lowering his eyes to the floor.

"As I thought, only someone who really knows and understands Uchiha Sasuke could become his girlfriend. You can so easily accept his choice," Shikamaru remarked. "Mayu, you probably were persistent in being his friend when he ultimately fell for you… Though, I can't see why." Mayu pressed her lips together. She almost couldn't believe he still believed that lie. Still, it was… partially right as of now. The girl scowled a bit at his last comment, though. But whatever…

"Yeah, I guess that's what happened, too," she nodded. Just outside the room, Sakura's head reared back from the door. Green eyes wide, she held a hand up and covered her mouth, muffling the gasp. Not only did Sasuke not come back to the village, but Mayu was his _girlfriend_! The kunoichi's eyes squeezed shut. She hadn't wanted to believe it, but in the back of her mind she always knew. She always knew that Sasuke and Mayu had feelings for each other. Most of the time, they were together. It was bound to happen. Sakura's hand fell limply at her side. Against Mayu, had she ever stood a chance with Sasuke? Tears welled up in her eyes. "Anyway, stop calling me his girlfriend. I'm not trying to be associated with a wanted criminal," Mayu continued.

"Hey, now…!" Naruto exclaimed. "I am bringing him back, you know! Promise of a life-"

"Really, Naruto, don't make me hit you again," the girl sounded annoyed. "I don't need you to promise to bring him back." She sighed. "Eventually, our paths will cross again whether you do something about it not." Trembling, the kunoichi walked away from the door. Mayu had sounded so accepting of Sasuke's mistake. The pink-haired girl shut her eyes, allowing the tears to fall as she walked. Sasuke's mistake…? Perhaps that's why the Uchiha had chosen Mayu. She probably didn't view his choice as a mistake, at all. After all, she had stated that she had gone on the mission, not to retrieve him, but to give him hell. Despite her reasoning, maybe Mayu was more mature than Sakura. The kunoichi suddenly stopped. Her eyes cracked open. The frown remained.

"_What have I been doing this whole time?"_ she thought.

Meanwhile, back inside the room, Mayu was trying to get Naruto to calm down. He was overacting again. The suspicious look from Shikamaru was making her nervous. Gosh, Sasuke was right. She would crack under an interrogation. Clearly her throat, returned to the bed. "Well, I'm sleep deprived, too, so you guys can leave now." She waved her hand in a way that said 'shoo, flies; don't bother me.'

"_Ah_, so troublesome," Shikamaru murmured. But he shrugged and moved to leave. He did not see the looks exchanged between Mayu and Naruto. The look was clear. Come back when you get the chance, it said. The blond nodded his head, and then followed the chuunin out of the room. Mayu placed her arms behind her head and stared up at the ceiling. She would have rather talked to Naruto as soon as possible to avoid him blabbering to someone who didn't need to know about this situation. She closed her eyes.

"_Gathering info, eh? Hope it won't be too taxing,"_ Mayu thought.

0-0

"_Ahh_…! We still can't talk to him?" Ino questioned. She, along with Akimichi Chouza, was outside the sixth ICU. The older ninja was sitting while she had chosen to stand remain standing. The young Yamanaka had arrived mere seconds ago to see her father's friend sitting and waiting. Clearly, the man was worried. She had heard that her teammate's condition had stabilized, so there was no point in worrying anymore, right? Still, this man was Chouji's father. Of course he would feel anxious.

"Yeah," he said. "But Tsunade-sama said that he will regain consciousness soon." Ino breathed out a sigh of relief. That was good. Both of her teammates were okay. Pretty soon, they would be doing 'troublesome' missions again. "Tsunade-sama's return to the Leaf utterly saved us… If she hadn't come, Chouji would be…" The man trailed off, causing Ino's eyes to return to his trembling form. She blinked twice.

"_The Fifth Hokage…"_ Ino thought. Her light blue eyes fell to the floor. Akimichi-san didn't finish what he was going to say, but it was clear to her. If Tsunade had not come back to the village, her teammate could have _died_. The thought sent shivers coursing through her body. The blond kunoichi hugged herself and shut her eyes. She didn't exactly glorify her teammates, but she definitely _loved_ them. If one or both were to die because they didn't have the proper medical treatment… she wouldn't be able to handle that. Could the village continue to rely on only the Fifth Hokage to save them? Ino bit her bottom lip. The more she thought about it, the more ridiculous it sounded. Tsunade wouldn't always be there, especially just for her team, alone. _"I know what I have to do…!"_ The kunoichi opened her eyes. Her arms dropped. Her fists clenched. A determined expression appeared. "Akimichi-san!" The man's face tilted in her direction.

"Yes?" he asked.

"Do you know where Hokage-sama happens to be right now?"

0-0

"_I… couldn't do anything…"_

This thought had repeated several times since she had left the hospital. In the end, she hadn't visited anyone. Originally, she had followed Naruto, thinking he had gone into Sasuke's room. But the young Uchiha was not in the hospital. He wasn't even in the village. The mission had failed. What was wrong with her? Even though the mission was a failure, everyone came back safely. _That_ is what should have mattered. Still, her thoughts were on Uchiha Sasuke. Why was she like this? Again, the same thought echoed in her mind. That's right… She _couldn't_ do anything—anything significant, anyway. Ever since she became a ninja… No, it was before that.

_Why did you become a ninja?_

_I mean, you shouldn't do things just because other people are doing it. I meant that you should follow your own path._

As she walked, her eyes focused on the ground. Sasuke had told her those things before. She had told him that everyone in their age group was doing, so she did it too. That was partially true, but really it was Ino. She had saved her from a life of being bullied. Sakura had wanted to emulate her. Ino was going to be a ninja, and so she had followed her down that path. Her eyelids lowered. Since the beginning, she had never followed her own path. She merely followed. And because she had followed, she had lost the friendship she had with her hero. Because… Because of a boy that never gave her the time of day, even when they became teammates. She loved someone that had not acknowledged her existence.

_You don't love him… How can you love someone you don't know?_

Sakura swallowed hard. Now that she thought about it, had she followed along with every other girl with her 'feelings' for the popular Uchiha? The thought caused a dull pain in her chest. She had wanted to fit in badly enough. Uchiha Sasuke was the object of every girl's desires. He was the strongest, coolest, and best boy in the entire class. It was ridiculous _not_ to like him. But… An image of a younger Sasuke appeared in her mind. As usual, he was brooding… and alone. He never had anyone to call friend. All the other boys were jealous of him, and all the girls only wanted his affections. No one really had understood him. Sasuke had become worse after his family had died.

_Mayu, you probably were persistent in being his friend when he ultimately fell for you._

No one had tried to be his friend. Sakura, herself, had never thought about getting to know him—not truly. When she had awoken to find herself on Sasuke's team, she couldn't be happier, even if she couldn't remember it, according to Sasuke. However, he had lied; Mayu had taken her place when Team 7 was established, which is why she couldn't remember. Still, she had been so excited that she was placed on the same team as her crush. Even then, she only viewed him as a potential boyfriend, and Naruto as an annoyance. God, she had made so many mistakes.

"_But I'm going to start correcting it now."_ Sakura's eyes looked up. The sign for the Hokage's office looked back down at her. The kunoichi breathed in, and then slowly released it. She knocked on the door twice. The voice of the Fifth Hokage allowed her entrance. Opening the door, she bowed politely to the blond woman. "I have a request," she announced. Tsunade eyed the girl before shifting her eyes to the envelope in her right hand.

"What is it?" she questioned, returning her gaze back to Sakura. The pink-haired girl pursed her lips. She closed her eyes for a moment.

"Please…" she began. "I wish to resign as a ninja of the Leaf village." Tsunade's eyes widen in surprise. Resignations were very rare in this career. The paper was held up. "This is my resignation letter."

"…" The Hokage intertwined her fingers. "Haruno Sakura… I've heard from Kakashi that you are intelligent and that you have a strong spirit." Her brown eyes narrowed. "Is this really… _truly_ what you want?"

"I do… yeah," Sakura answered. She nodded her head. "I'm not cut out to be a ninja." Tsunade leaned back in her chair and sighed.

"I'm not sure this would be the best decision," she finally said. Sakura's eyebrows furrowed. "Your intelligence and chakra control is something I would not want to go to waste." Tsunade gave the young kunoichi a piercing look. "Tell you want, I'll give you a few days off. Your teammate has abandoned the village. It's natural for you to feel the way you do. However, you can't trouble yourself about this situation."

"This isn't about Sasuke-kun. This is about me," Sakura stated. "Honestly, if it wasn't for strange circumstances, I probably wouldn't have become a ninja in the first place."

"_Hm_… Still…" Tsunade murmured. "How about this…? Instead of completely giving up the life of a ninja, how about changing your line of work?"

"Changing?"

"Yes, with your chakra control, you can become a great medic-nin. Medic-nin are scarce and in the ninja world, this is not a good thing," Tsunade explained. "You could become an important asset in the future. The only thing would be for you to change your training regime to focus, not on fighting, but on healing the human body."

"I… I don't think-" Sakura tried.

"I'll give you time to think about it," the Fifth interrupted. "This is a decision you should make after much consideration. Likewise, I will think about your resignation as well." She motioned for Sakura to leave her resignation on her desk. The girl nodded her head, and then placed the envelope on the desk. "Come back when you're ready to choose your path."

"_My path…"_ Her eyes expanded ever so slightly, and then narrowed. "Okay… I'll think it over properly," Sakura stated out loud.

"Good. You're dismissed."

0-0

Yeah, I know it's pretty short, but it's getting really close to the end, so... I believe the next one will be short, too. Maybe.


	17. Chapter 17

Mayu slowly opened her eyes. She breathed out. This place was a lot creepier than the last time she had been. Well, it was dark outside. That may have been why it was creepier. Her lips pressed into a thin line. But anyway… She didn't need to be thinking about the environment. What mattered was the information source this place might become. The girl scaled up the wall, using chakra. She had just finished speaking with Uzumaki Naruto, concerning what he was to tell Tsunade. Once she was sure the blond got it, they parted ways. He was supposed to tell the woman about Sasuke's plan, concerning what he was doing in the Sound village. However, he was not going to tell her about Mayu's existence at all. She needed to be as undetected as possible. That conversation had lasted through sunset. Mayu shook her head at the thought. It was because of that conversation that she had decided to start her 'mission' ahead of time. She had planned to wait until Hinata was out of the hospital. But after thinking about it, waiting a few months didn't seem to be the best option.

Finally, she reached the top. With a grunt, Mayu pulled herself up. "There has _got_ to be an easier way up here!" she muttered. Sure, she could use _only_ her chakra, but that felt like cheating. Chuckling and rolling her eyes at her mind's logic, she fully stood and headed towards the traditional house. Within moments, she was standing at the entrance to the Ishikari residence. She opened the door. Her eyes narrowed a bit, feeling a strange wind. She got goose bumps from that wind. "That was weird..." Mayu shrugged it off and walked into the house. Once she was in, she slid the door closed behind her. "Down to business."

Apparently, this clan liked to hide stuff underneath things. Her best bet was to look under the floorboards again. Not in the same spot, of course. She had only found that diary last time. The other rooms hadn't been completely checked. She would look at the rooms where Sasuke had looked before and go through it thoroughly. However, that woman's diary was a good start for information. She and Uchiha Fugaku had some type of deal going on. Could that have been the start of the relationship between Uchiha and Ishikari? And if so, what was their connection? With any luck, that diary would hold all the answers, which is why she had to find it. Before, she had believed that she had carried the diary out with her, but after some thought she had dropped it. Sasuke had been pulling her—nearly dragging her—out of the house.

Mayu stopped walking. She had reached her destination. However, the book was not outside the door and the door was closed. There was something wrong here. To her surprise, the door began opening. Immediately, she backed away. _"Crap…! Why is someone-"_ Her thought was abruptly cut off. Her eyes widened. That familiar black cloak with red clouds—it was Akatsuki. Mayu's eyes slowly traveled up, confused as to why Akatsuki was here. Red eyes stared down at her. "Weasel man…?" She nearly shouted while pointing a finger. "What the heck are you doing here?" The girl gasped loudly, slapping a hand over her mouth. She really had to stop blurting things out. Making fun of his name was not the best idea.

Without a word, Itachi stepped forward. This caused Mayu to step back. He didn't seem the least bit concerned about that. He continued to move forward, and she continued to move back. At last, her back hit the wall. Sasuke's voice suddenly echoed in her head. _If it gets too dangerous, you pull out_, he had told her. Mayu squeezed her eyes shut. This was looking more and more dangerous. However, Uchiha Itachi was a link. If she wanted to be thorough, she needed Itachi, too. Bracing herself, she voiced her eyes open. "Mayu… chan…" he said. Instead of staring directly into his Sharingan, her blue Hyuga eyes focused on his eyebrows.

"Uchiha-san," she returned. Mayu noticed that his lip twitch—like a slight frown.

"Have you remembered everything?"

"That depends on what that means," she replied. Itachi raised a brow. "What are you going to do if I do remember?"

"So you do not then?" he murmured more to himself than her. It was then that Mayu noticed the book in his right hand. It was the _diary_! "Do you wish for your memories to return completely?" So he realized, did he? Darn, she could have gotten valuable information if he hadn't. Mayu frowned, not answering him. "I'm afraid I will not be the one to bring about your memories, if not even my genjutsu did so."

"I'll find out eventually," Mayu bit out. Well, there was no point in pussy-footing around now. "So why don't you make it easier for me and tell me about you and Ishikari Mayuka? How involved were you with this clan?"

"_Heh_," he smirked. "Even without your memories, you haven't changed."

"_I really can't stand how vague some people are,"_ Mayu thought, refraining from glowering. "If you won't talk straight to me, then don't talk at all," she spoke out loud. The girl crossed her arms. "But you can give me that diary you have."

"Such hostility from you."

"_Hm_… I wonder _why_!" came her sarcastic remark. Itachi narrowed his eyes. "I'm not scared of you. The hatred that I have is kinda overpowering fear at the moment." The Uchiha did not reply to her hateful comments. Instead, he closed his eyes. Mayu's body tensed, watching him closely. It most likely wouldn't help, but it's how her body reacted. Without warning, his face was suddenly seriously close to hers. Her body froze. She even stopped breathing.

"If you wish to know, find out by yourself," Itachi said. This time, Mayu did not attempt to hide her scowl. "I will not give you this." He held up the diary. The book was immediately set aflame in his hand. The girl gapped at the sight. That thing probably had valuable information in it—the kind it would take _years_ to find out. And Itachi was just letting it _burn_! The missing ninja dropped the charred remains of the book to the floor. He reached into his cloak. "However, I will give you a clue." Finally, the Uchiha straightened his back, pulling away from her. His arm was extended, though. In the palm of his hand, there was a small oval-shaped frame. However, before she could have a glimpse at the picture, the object was shoved into her hand and covered by Itachi's palm. "Here's a small hint, Mayu-chan."

"I'd appreciate it if you'd stop calling me that like we know each other," she retorted. Silently, Itachi backed away from her. Mayu kept her blue eyes on his person. She frowned when he turned his back on her. Well, at least she didn't have to worry about any genjutsu. But this Uchiha didn't seem like he would provide a lot of information for her even though he was probably the source. That fact made her glare at his retreating back. Then she shifted her narrowed eyes down at the frame. The girl gasped and dropped the frame to the floor.

It couldn't be… There must have been some mistake. Eyes wide, Mayu pressed her back against the wall and slid down to the floor. Her head shook a couple times. Her eyes had to be playing tricks on her, right? What she saw couldn't be right. Swallowing hard, she reached out towards the dropped object. Her fingers trembled before grasping the frame. Her breath came out as a shudder. There was no denying it. She had seen correctly the first time. The old picture—probably only a few years old—was in sepia tone. There were two young people in the photo. Both looked like younger versions of herself and Itachi. Mayu swallowed hard again. It was definitely her and Itachi. The pose was all too much like her. Grinning, eyes looking directly at the camera, her right cheek was pressed against Itachi's left. When one other person was with her in a photo that was the pose she did. It was a fact. No matter whom the person was as long as they were a… friend. Itachi was not impassive. He wore a small smile. His arm was wrapped around her shoulders. They looked to be quite close.

Mayu pressed her lips into a thin line. She flipped the frame and hastily removed the back. The picture had writing on the back. Just as she thought, the writing stated that it was herself and Itachi, age eight and twelve respectively. _"Eight…?"_ Mayu thought, biting her lip. Her eyebrows furrowed. She couldn't… seem to remember anything before that point in her life. No, she couldn't even remember being eight at all. A hand covered her mouth. What did this mean? _"Calm down… calm down… This is a coincidence…"_ It had to be. She had already come to terms with her being a descendant of this clan. _"Right… This is not me. This is… my ancestor. She just has the same name and face—perfectly plausible."_ Besides, there were plenty of people out there who couldn't remember their early childhood.

However, this could be a potential vital piece of her investigation. Mayu stood up, removing her hand from her mouth. Her eyes looked around. Uchiha Itachi was long gone by now. He had given her this 'clue,' which told her that he, as Sasuke had said, was deeply involved with the Ishikari clan. If that was possible, then it was certainly possible that one or more of the clan members could have helped him carry out the massacre. _"Wait…!"_ Her eyes sharply looked up. That _couldn't _be possible. Mayu reached up and clutched her head. If she remembered correctly, Ishikari Mayuka had written her last message while dying. She had written that Uchiha Fugaku betrayed them. That meant that the Ishikari clan was dead _before_ the Uchiha clan. _"Well, Sasuke was wrong about that then… But then who helped out Itachi that night?"_

Damn. Figuring out one thing just to have more questions spring up—this was just _great_. Then again, no one had said this was going to be easy. Mayu narrowed her eyes. Admittedly, she was becoming curious about this whole affair. She returned the back of the frame to its proper place. Then she put the frame in her pocket. The girl looked around once more. "Time to get started then," she muttered, cracking her knuckles.

0-0

As he followed behind his new teacher, Uchiha raised an eyebrow. On either side of him, there were cells, equipped with prisoners. He wished he understood more about Orochimaru. Why did he feel the need to keep captives? Sasuke frowned. The last place was like this, too. The three of them—Orochimaru, Kabuto, and he—had just made it to the new base. This led the young Uchiha to believe that there were many bases, belonging to the traitorous Sanin.

What did he know of the man already? Not much, unfortunately. As a Sanin, he was one of the most celebrated ninja, hailing from the Leaf village. However, at one point, he abandoned the village. Why? As of now, he couldn't be sure. In the Academy, he was spoken of as a criminal. Outside of school, he was thought of as a boogeyman, someone meant to scare children into coming home as quickly as possible. There was a rumor going around that he kidnapped civilian and ninja alike. None of those people ever came back. What had he done to them?

Sasuke glanced out of the corner of his eye. Some of the prisoners wore medical dress. Most of them didn't and had bruises and scratches over their arms and legs. Were those needle marks? These people had been injected with something. Or their blood had been used for something. The young Uchiha narrowed his eyes and shifted his attention back to Orochimaru's back. That sounded like he was conducting experiments. A scientist, was he? That meant there was an abundance of information that could prove to be valuable for his plans.

"_Kukuku_… Sasuke-kun." Orochimaru suddenly spoke. Although he looked different with the short white hair, it was definitely him. Those snake-like eyes were distinctive, after all. The bandages around his face didn't cover up his identity. The young Uchiha had to keep his face impassive. He really didn't like the old man adding –kun to his name. It was _weird_. "You are the chosen human." That was even weirder.

"Whatever…" Sasuke indifferently responded. "When are you going to give me the power I seek?" It had to appear that he had a one-track mind while he was here. "I have no need for exploring this place if we're only going to be here for a short period of time." Orochimaru shifted his uncovered eye in his direction. He didn't say anything, but perhaps he was feeling a bit disrespected. Kabuto's pace suddenly increased.

"Even though his form is different," he whispered in his ear. "That is Orochimaru-sama in front of you. If you don't want to die, you should watch your mouth." What did this guy take him for—an idiot? Of course he knew it was Orochimaru. He also knew that the Sanin wouldn't kill him just for mouthing off. He had gone through so much trouble already. After losing some of the strongest people who had worked for him, there was no way he was going to kill the thing they were after.

For his stupidity, Sasuke openly glared at the glasses-wearing man. Kabuto actually reared back in shock. Serves the pussy right. He had actually stopped moving and shuddered. The young Uchiha turned his eyes back to Orochimaru, whom was looking at him with intense interest. Like he said before—weird. But whatever… He could deal with the looks. Still, he would make sure never to be alone in a small dark room with the guy if he could help it. "Sasuke-kun, I'm sure you're tired. I am showing you to your room. We will begin tomorrow."

"Good." After a few more minutes of walking, the journey had come to an end. Orochimaru opened a door, welcoming Sasuke to his room. It was simple. There was a bed and a wooden chair. Kabuto cleared his throat and began explaining things to him. However, Sasuke wasn't listening at this point. Whatever he was saying couldn't have been that important anyway. After lighting the two candles above his bed, the two men left, closing the door behind them. Finally, he thought they would never leave.

Sasuke sat on the bed, getting a feel to it, before lying down. His dark eyes stared up at the ceiling for a moment. This place was unpleasant. Hopefully, this mission didn't last forever. He turned onto his side, back facing the door. After waiting for a few minutes, he pulled a small object from his short's pocket. He held it up to his face. It was the heart-shaped frame Mayu had thrown at him. It occurred to Sasuke that he shouldn't be carrying this thing around. There was a possibility that someone on Orochimaru's side could discover it. Still, it gave him comfort. It was a reminder as to why he wanted to go through with this in the first place.

The Uchiha allowed himself to smile. How long would it be before he saw her face—her real face, that is? Hopefully, it wouldn't be too long. _"Ishikari Mayu…"_ His smile widened just a bit. Slowly, the young ninja closed his eyes and pressed the frame to his chest. This one small picture would help him in the future. He would keep it on his person at all times. That way, it was less likely for it being discovered by another party. _"You'll wait for me, won't you?"_ Sasuke placed the frame back in his pocket. With the thought of Mayu's grin on his mind, he drifted off to sleep.

0-0

It was a beautiful day in the village. The temperature wasn't too hot or too cold. Though the sun was hiding behind a cloud, it did not take away the light of day; it merely provided shade. It was peaceful, too. The birds were singing. The flowers were gently swaying, and it was "LOUD AS SHIT! GODDAMN BIRDS!" And apparently, Mayu was irritated. Again. Hinata slowly opened her eyes. She turned her head, frowning at her companion. The two of them were _supposed_ to be meditating. Why the sudden change in training? It was because her mind guest had become prone to agitation. This wasn't an overnight thing either. Her change in demeanor had been building these past few months. The littlest of things could get on her nerves, for example the chirping of the birds.

Meditation was to help relieve stress. However, it did not seem to work for Ishikari Mayu. The girl threw her hands in the air, and then stood up. Growling, she walked over to a random tree and kicked it. Hinata's eyebrows knitted together, watching her friend repeatedly kick the defenseless tree. Something was seriously wrong with her. But when asked, Mayu only responded that it was stress. She had not gone into detail about it. It wasn't like her to be secretive about something that was obviously upsetting her. The Hyuga heiress cleared her throat before attempting to calm her friend down. "Mayu, I do believe you have succeeded in getting rid of the birds. You can stop now," Hinata advised.

The girl's leg abruptly stopped mid kick. Still, the scowl remained her face. She crossed her arms and sharply turned to face Hinata. "Why are we meditating this _early_? I'm pretty sure I'd do better in the afternoon!" The Hyuga had to reframe from rolling her eyes at such an obvious false statement. Meditation, no matter what time of day it was, did not help her friend to calm down. The scowl suddenly dropped from her face. She appeared thoughtful, eyes looking up. "Hey, isn't today the day your Naruto-kun leaves for a couple years? Shouldn't you go and kiss him, or something?" Despite almost a year of learning to control her reactions, Hinata could not stop the massive blush from overtaking her face. Generally, she could, but when it came to Mayu's teasing about the wonderful blond ninja, her body shivered and her face felt hot and cold at the same time. Lucky her; Mayu didn't drop her teasing antics with her change in behavior.

"Na-Na-Naruto-kun is spending time with Iruka-sensei at the moment," Hinata murmured, eyes focusing on the ground. She couldn't even contain her stutter. "And he's not… my bo-bo-boyfriend!" Mayu chuckled a bit.

"So you already checked up on him, _eh_?" she asked. Hinata didn't respond, but her expression must have given her away. "Well, anyway, I'm hungry. Let's go get breakfast." The Hyuga almost snorted at her dark counterpart. Her appetite hadn't changed either. With a sigh, Hinata stood from her sitting position and nodded her head. Grinning, Mayu suddenly disappeared. Becoming one with Hinata's mind once again, the girl told her to 'chop chop.'

Nearly rolling her eyes, Hinata complied with her mind guest's wishes. At least she hadn't said 'mush, mush' instead. Mayu had done that before in the past. The Hyuga began her light jog towards town. Within ten minutes, she had reached her target location. A quaint little restaurant, that had become her favorite place to eat, was mere inches away. This was the only place in the Leaf village that served cinnamon rolls—her favorite pastry. When she was much younger, her mother would often spoil her with the sweet snack. Smiling at the memory, Hinata moved to enter the establishment.

Just as she was about open the door, a loud and familiar voice caught her attention. She turned her head. As she thought, the owner of the voice was familiar to her. Slightly blushing, Hinata greeted the enthusiastically waving blond with a small wave of her own. Uzumaki Naruto stood in front of her, wearing his trademark grin. "Hey, Hinata—I'm glad I found you!" he exclaimed.

"Na-Naruto-kun…" she murmured. Then she blinked. "Why? Weren't you with Iruka-sensei?"

"Yeah, but the Pervy Sage wants to go earlier than expected," Naruto answered. "Actually, he's waiting for me at the gate."

"Oh…" Hinata bowed her head a bit. "So then… This is goodbye?" It was then that she noticed the bag strapped to his back. She already knew the answer before he had even spoken.

"Yeah, I came to say goodbye to you and Mayu," he explained. He rubbed the back of his head. His grin became a bit sheepish. "I kinda need to talk to her… alone, so I can ask her something. You don't mind, right?"

"_Ah_… Of course not," Hinata replied. Her pale eyes looked around. It was still pretty early. Not many villagers were out and about at the moment. The few that were didn't pay them the least bit of attention. Deeming it safe, the kunoichi made the signs for the Clone Jutsu. Seconds later, her darker comrade stood beside her.

"Good, hey, Mayu, we should talk privately," the blond stated. Hinata furrowed her brow.

"If this is about what I think it is, I'm going to give you the same answer—_no_, Naruto!" Mayu crossed her arms. The shinobi visibly pouted. Hinata's eyes narrowed. She had no idea what the two were talking about. "Ask me again and I _will_ use violence."

"But he _said_ you could tell me!" Naruto protested.

"_Screw_ him! _He_ doesn't know what it's like! I'm _not_ telling you—_especially_ right before you leave!" Mayu nearly snarled. The shinobi crossed his own arms, showing his sudden irritation. Her dark clone merely scoffed and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Hey!" Naruto shouted. Inside Hinata's mind, Mayu remained quiet. The blond sighed, dropping his arms. He seemed quite dejected by her friend's lack of response. "This is so unfair," he muttered.

"What is unfair, Na-Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked. Her voice seemed to snap him back to reality. He coughed and cleared his throat. The shinobi also averted his gaze to the ground for a moment. It was suspicious behavior to say the least.

"Nothing really! Anyway-" Clearly, he wanted to change the subject. "So… since I'm leaving… Can I… hug you… like I did before?" Clearly, he had succeeded. Hug? _Again_? Already, she could feel the heat rising to her cheeks. Ignoring her friend's chants of 'yes, yes, yes, yes,' Hinata turned her eyes to the ground. Not trusting her voice to not squeak out a reply, the Hyuga merely nodded her head. A real smile crossed his face before he abruptly placed his arms around her. Hinata could not prevent the squeak after all. Not just her face, but her whole body was consumed by heat. Burning, yet pleasant, the heiress squeezed her eyes shut, burying her face into his shoulder. She couldn't attempt to return the hug, but this was just as satisfying. "I'm… glad you're my friend, Hinata." At his words, she bit her lower lip and nodded her head. "Really—I really mean it. Thank you."

"Naruto-kun…" Slowly, he pulled away. His hands remained her shoulders.

"I'm going to come back stronger than ever," he stated. Hinata nodded her head again. She worked up the courage to look him in the eye. "You'll get stronger, too?"

"I'll… I'll do my best, too!"

"Great! See you in a few years, Hinata!" Naruto exclaimed, and then began to walk away. The Hyuga heiress watched his departing back, trying to push down the blush on her face and not faint at the same time. Mayu was not helping her do this either. In fact, she was giggling insanely.

**Hinata and Naruto, sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!**

"_Ma-Mayu!"_ she tried to scold her friend, but the girl continued laugh out obnoxiously. Hinata sighed out heavily. Once Naruto was out of her line of vision, she closed her eyes. Almost. She was almost at the point where she wouldn't faint. Really, her body felt like it was going to even now. With another sigh, she turned and opened her eyes, only to come face to face with blue eyes—lighter than Naruto's. Hinata reared back in shock. Then she realized it was only Yamanaka Ino. The blond kunoichi had a somewhat eerie grin on her face.

"I saw that," she stated.

"Wh-Wh-What?" Hinata stammered out.

"That hug that you had with Na-Ru-To-_Kun_!" Ino clarified. Well, the blush was back. "Who knew I would see something so cute _this_ early? Maybe it wasn't so bad doing this errand for Master Tsunade." Hinata had to force herself not to poke her index fingers together. Ino had gotten more observant since she became the Fifth Hokage's apprentice. No doubt she would figure out that Hinata pressing her index fingers together at this point meant confirmation. "Are you two on _kissing_ terms yet?"

"He's n-n-not my… bo-boy-boyfriend!" The attempt at shouting did not sway the Yamanaka. The kunoichi merely wrapped an arm around Hinata's shoulders and playfully tried to kiss her, saying that she was Naruto. "In-Ino-san!" Chuckling, the blond pulled away.

"Calm down, Hinata. I'm just messing with you," Ino grinned. She waved her hand. "Anyway, have you seen Sakura anywhere? Master Tsunade wants to see how far she's come compared to me since she's been taken under Shizune-san's wing." The girl scoffed. "Probably not much," she remarked. "I'm the best—everyone knows it." Hinata blinked once. A few days after the failed mission to return Uchiha Sasuke to the village, Naruto had told her that Sakura was no longer going to be a part of Team 7 because she had decided on an alternative. She, instead, was transferred to another line of work—a medic. For two months, she trained at the hospital under various medical ninja. Then, at the beginning of this month, the Hokage's assistant began teaching her. Tomorrow would mark the end of this month.

"Sorry, I have been meditating. This is my first time in town today," Hinata answered. Ino sighed and looked down the road.

"Oh, okay… Oh well," she murmured. "I didn't feel like bragging, anyway."

"How is your training coming, Ino-san?" Hinata politely asked. The grinned stretched its way back onto her face. Didn't feel like bragging, her butt. The Hyuga stood there, listening to the blond kunoichi boast about how far she had gotten in her training with Tsunade. Something about a fish was involved, but it appeared to be good news. Finally, she ended her bragging, hands on her hips, grinning triumphantly.

"… so Sakura can _suck_ it!" she finished. Hinata nodded, doing her best to ignore the ranting coming from her mind guest. She seemed to be quite annoyed. And hungry. "So anyway, I guess I'll see you around, Hinata." Ino walked off, giving a wave. Hinata returned the wave. At last, she turned and entered her favorite restaurant.

**Finally! Go to a back table, Hinata.**

After the two girls were settled and their order of food had arrived, Hinata finally came down from her Naruto high. It was because of that that the Hyuga started thinking clearly again. The conversation between Mayu and the blond ninja had been too strange. This was honestly the first time Hinata felt left out. She didn't like this feeling, especially since it was her best friend and crush who were excluding her from whatever they were talking about. The kunoichi mentally sighed, watching Mayu happily eat her natto on rice. Perhaps it was a bit selfish, feeling this way. Perhaps it was jealousy as well. Whatever the case may be, Hinata wanted to find out now.

The Hyuga cleared her throat, setting her chopsticks across her bowl. This drew the attention of Mayu, who looked up from consuming her breakfast. She blinked, the gooey texture of the natto dripping from her mouth. She blinked once more as Hinata frowned. Hurriedly, her best friend finished eating that part of the meal. Mayu must have sensed the serious shift in the mood. "Is there… something wrong?" she asked, setting down her bowl and chopsticks.

"Something wrong…?" Hinata repeated. Her eyes narrowed a bit. "That is what I've been trying to figure out these past couple of months." Expectedly, Mayu bit her lip and averted her gaze elsewhere. "Mayu, please tell me what's going on."

"I told you," she murmured. Still, she did not look her in the eye. "It's stress."

"This stress you have… is causing me to become stressed as well," Hinata stated. "Why can you not tell me the cause of it?" Mayu remained silent. "I…" The kunoichi swallowed. "I thought we were best friends…" Her friend was quick to snap her head back up.

"We _are_ best friends!" Mayu nearly shouted. "It's just…" Again, her gaze lowered. "I can't tell you."

"_Why_? Why are you hiding something from me? And what does it _have to do with Naruto-kun_?"

Mayu blinked in rapid succession before lifting her head to stare at the Hyuga. Hinata's own eyes had widened in mortification. Had she really just say that? Her cheeks glowed pink as her friend continued to stare blankly in her direction. Then a grin slowly etched on her face. "Oh, I see," she said. Hinata's cheeks grew warmer and warmer. "Let me assure you that your precious Naruto and I have a purely platonic relationship." The Hyuga mentally tried to cough out her embarrassment. Then the grin dropped. "Naruto's wanted to know what's up with me, too—that's all."

"You can't tell either him or me about it?"

"No… Rather, I refuse to," Mayu clarified. Hinata's eyes narrowed. She knew it.

"_Why_?" she repeated. "I don't understand."

"… It's not something I should tell," the girl shifted in her seat. "It's something I won't tell either of you—at least not yet. I know things that I shouldn't know… Three months worth of information that I should have not discovered, but I did… This information, Hinata, is so valuable that I'm sure people would kill for it. I refuse to share that burden." The kunoichi was at a loss. Her friend's eyes welled up with tears. Her fist, clenched on the table, trembled. "Please don't continue to ask me what I know, Hinata. Because eventually, I'm gonna tell you. So don't ask. Just let it go." Chewing on her bottom lip, the heiress furrowed her brow and stared down at the table.

The two girls continued their meal in silence.

0-0

Hinata abruptly sat up, eyes wide and body trembling. Panicked, her pale eyes darted around the room, taking in her surroundings. Slowly, her breathing returned to normal. Her eyes had gradually adjusted to the darkness of her room. The young kunoichi shut her eyes, gripping at her sleeping garments. It was only just a dream. No, it was a terrible nightmare. However, she could not remember its contents. But it must have been a nightmare to invoke such intense negative emotions. Her heart continued to beat quite rapidly within her chest. Hinata swallowed hard, willing her heart to slow down. Although she couldn't remember the nightmare, an image of Ishikari Mayu had appeared in her mind's eye.

Despite what her friend had told her, Hinata couldn't just let it go. Knowing that her friend was suffering and not being able to do anything about it caused the Hyuga's insides to churn. A week had passed since that conversation, yet it still bugged her. She had never seen Mayu come so close to shedding tears before. Never. Well, there was her irrational fear of bees, but she had never cried while running away. Hinata had always believed that her friend was so strong. When Uchiha Sasuke did not come back, she hadn't let out one sob—even when the two of them had been so close.

That conversation was the reason that she sometimes couldn't get to sleep. And now she had had a nightmare. With a sigh, Hinata opened her eyes. Hopefully, that would be the one and only nightmare she would have pertaining to Mayu. It made her uneasy. The Hyuga shifted her eyes to the side. However, who she was expecting to see was not there. Frantically, she looked around the room again. There were no light snores, only silence. Mayu knew it was not safe to relieve herself in the middle of the night. She couldn't have left the room, right? _"Mayu…?"_ Hinata tried to speak with her mind guest. There was no reply. _"Mayu? Are you there?" _Still, there wasn't an answer.

The kunoichiplaced her hand on the spot where Mayu usually lied. It was still warm from her body heat. Quickly, Hinata triggered her advanced bloodline. The rooms were specially design to keep the Byakugan from seeing inside. However, one could still look outside of the room. It only took a second for her to spot the chakra system that was similar to hers. _"Mayu… What are you doing?"_ Hurriedly, Hinata removed the cover from her body, and then stood up from her futon. She didn't have any time to waste, so she would have leave without changing.

It was easier to slip out of the Hyuga estate than she thought. Hinata frowned as she scaled the wall. It was better not to use chakra, after all. That was probably how Mayu wasn't sensed leaving. Narrowing her eyes, she spotted a moving shadow among the trees. If it was this easy to leave, how many times had she done it in the past? Come to think of it, there were times when Hinata had awakened from slumber but Mayu had not been there. In her sleepy state of mind, she automatically assumed that Mayu had merely returned to her mind. _"Wait… She did tell me that she had three months worth of information that she shouldn't know…"_ Hinata thought. Since they were always together during the day, that meant Mayu had snuck out _every_ night.

Hinata anxiously chewed on her lip as she continued to follow Mayu at a safe distance. She had been following her friend for over five minutes now. She seemed to be running in circles. Could she have discovered that she was being followed? No. Neither one of them had used their chakra. Mayu shouldn't be able to detect her, not at this distance. Finally, after another five minutes, the surroundings began to look strange. _"I see… She did that as a precaution,"_ Hinata thought. The Hyuga had never been to this part of the village. Well, there was that one time when she had accompanied Mayu to the Uchiha district. However, her friend did not appear to be heading in that direction. She had slowed down, choosing to walk at a leisure pace. Because of that, getting to whatever destination she was going took fifteen minutes.

At last, Mayu came to a stop at a high steep rock face. This cliff seemed to be odd, though. For a moment, her friend merely stared up. Finally, she lifted her leg, using her chakra to stick to the wall. The girl sprinted up the strange cliff. It wasn't long before she was out of sight completely. Hinata stepped forward after a moment. She couldn't use her chakra, lest be discovered by Mayu. "There must be some other way…" The kunoichi could climb up. However, she wasn't confident that she would make it, using only her physical strength. Hinata, instead, walked. As she thought, this cliff was strange. It wasn't connected to anything, appearing to be in the shape of a cylinder. Not only that, but there were steps leading up. This was not naturally formed.

These steps were hidden amongst the heavily dense forest. No one would even _think_ to come this way. This place, Hinata realized, was a secret. Mayu's previous words echoed in her head. _I know things that I shouldn't know_, she had said. The kunoichi clenched her fists. With a determined nod, Hinata began to travel up the stone steps. As she walked, she noted the wood-like material was also used to create this strange cliff. Perhaps it was the work of a genjutsu? Hinata was tempted to see—after all, her Byakugan could see if there was chakra residue left behind—but thought better of it. Right now, she needed to focus on Mayu.

Finally, she had reached the top. There was a large red shrine gate, and beyond that was a building complex—traditional in structure, similar to her own house. Hinata slowly moved forward. She stopped again, coming to the entrance. There was some type of crest on the door. It was peculiar. Three black felines seemed to be intertwined with one another. Still, there faces and eyes were distinct. The eyes seemed to glow a surreal green color. One paw, belonging to each feline, barely touched in the middle of the crest in the shape of a mitsudomoe—three joined tomoe. Behind the felines, there was a void of blue, pink, and purple.

Slowly and silently, Hinata opened the door. She shuddered, feeling a cold wind, from inside the house, brush past her. Deciding to ignore that, the kunoichi walked into the house, closing the door behind her. Again, Hinata bit her lower lip. In such a large place, tracking Mayu—without the use of chakra—would take quite awhile. Fortunately for the kunoichi, the person she was tracking apparently liked to shout out her exploits. "YES! I finally mastered it!" The shout had come from further in the house. As there wasn't a second floor, Hinata deduced that it came from the eastern part of the house. Quickly and quietly she followed the echoed.

It didn't take long to come across the room her friend was currently in. After a moment, Hinata peeked around the corner. Luckily, Mayu wasn't paying much attention. Actually, her eyes were focused solely on the blue flame in the palm of her hand. The fire enveloped half of her arm as well. It didn't seem to burn her, though. Hinata saw the grin stretch on her face. "Past masters, eat your heart out!" She abruptly closed her hand and the flames extinguished. Upon closer inspection, Hinata noted that Mayu was drenched in sweat and she looked fatigued. Strange how she wasn't like this a mere few minutes ago. The flame—it must have been a powerful jutsu.

Mayu suddenly fell to her knees, panting heavily. Hinata forced herself not to expose herself. The grin was still on her face, so she supposed her friend was relatively okay. The girl's hand reached out, picking up a scroll. Hinata narrowed her eyes, watching Mayu scan over the inscription. Her mouth moved, but the Hyuga—who was trained to read lips—could not decipher what Mayu was mouthing. It was as if she was speaking, but not really _speaking_, a different language altogether.

"Alright… This is the last one," Mayu muttered. "Should I try now or later…? Well, I do have some chakra left. Ah, it couldn't hurt." Hinata found herself twitching. The nonchalant way Mayu spoke of chakra exhaustion made her want to smack her friend upside the head. The girl began to speed through hand signs. She had gotten quite faster at making them over the course of their training together. Then Mayu smacked her palms together and took in a large breath of air. Subconsciously, the Hyuga leaned forward. "Transfer Mind…" A large of amount of chakra seemed to explode from her darker counterpart's body. Hinata shuddered a bit. What jutsu was this? To hell with being stealthy. The kunoichi activated her Byakugan. "Transfer Body…" Another explosion of chakra from Mayu's body came forth. "Transfer Soul!" The sudden cry—of pain—escaped Mayu's mouth. It was getting harder and harder to keep from exposing herself. The girl clenched her teeth and squeezed her eyes shut. "Forbidden Ninja Art!" Sweat dripped from her chin. "Transportation of Ishikari Jutsu!"

Both girls were expecting something big to happen. However, there was nothing. Only silence came out of whatever jutsu she had tried to use. _"It didn't work?"_ Hinata's thought mirrored Mayu's indignant shout of frustration. The girl threw her hands in the air, muttering something about tomorrow night. Hinata furrowed her brow. She decided now was the time to reveal herself. Whatever Mayu had been doing, Hinata was going to force her to talk. It would take prodding, but as the girl had stated before, she would eventually give in and tell.

Before Hinata could enter the room and make herself known, unnatural winds picked up, blowing around lightweight objects. Her Byakugan was still in effect, so she could clearly see the chakra surrounding Mayu. Speaking of the girl, she had snapped to attention. Her blue Hyuga eyes darted around before they zoned in her Hinata. Mayu gave her a fierce stare. "What the heck are you doing here?" Her scream was heard over the harsh winds. Hinata opened her mouth, but was cut short by the blinding light, which emitted from her friend. The light actually hurt her eyes, and so she quickly stopped the flow of chakra to her eyes. "HINATA!"

"M-Mayu…?" Forcing her eyes to open again the bright light, Hinata barely made out a ghostly form of her friend. The Hyuga rushed into the room, but the light had kept her at bay. "MAYU!" The wind stopped. The light stopped. Everything seemed to stop. Hinata slowly opened her eyes. The room was dark and cold. Swallowing hard, the kunoichi slowly moved forward. "… Mayu? Where are you?" she whispered. There was no response. "Mayu?" she called out, feeling panic arise. Again, nothing. Hinata triggered her enhanced eyes. Expectedly, there was a large mass of chakra residue in place of where Mayu had been sitting. _"Mayu?"_ she thought. Even in her mind, there was no reply or angry scolding. Feelings of her nightmare suddenly came flying back to her, along with utter dread.

Mayu… was gone.

0-0

The eyes of Ishikari Mayu opened, only to close again because they were met with a bright ceiling. _"Morning already?" _she thought, carefully opening her eyes again so that they could adjust. Just as slowly, she sat up, looking at her room through squinted eyes. The girl blinked. This wasn't her room. There was no way her room was painted white. Waking up to that every morning would cause her resentment towards her dear parents. "Hospital..." Mayu presumed. There was no one in the room, though. _"__What's going on?"_ shethought. _"Why am I in a hospital?"_ A hand reached up to grab her head. There was a dull pain there. Like she had sprinted home without water. God, she really hoped that hadn't happened again. Last time, her dad had something similar to a 'bitch fit,' as mom liked to call it.

Mayu looked to her left. There was a open window, causing a soft breeze to enter the room. Judging from the position of the sun, it was still morning. Her hand dropped from her head. How did she wind up in the hospital again? She wondered how long she had been out this time. Wait… Now she remembered. She had been playing around. Great. Most likely, she was going to get an earful for it, too. Sighing, Mayu closed her eyes.

Suddenly, the door opened. This caused Mayu to snap her gaze to the familiar form of Ishikari Sheena. "Morning, Mayu…" The woman closed the door behind her, not bothering to look upon the awakened body of her daughter. Mayu frowned at the thought. Jeez… She must have been out for a long time. Well, enough with the ignorance. Flatly, she called out to her mother, asking where her other parent was. The woman was so startled by her, rasping, voice that she dropped the folders and papers that were in her hands. No doubt she would have dropped her laptop, too if it wasn't in a bag, which was strapped to her shoulder. "M-Mayu…?" Her voice held uncertainty. "You-"

"HEY!" Her mother had suddenly launched herself at Mayu with tears streaming down her cheeks. This definitely freaked out the child because she wasn't used to her mother showing tears. "M-Mom! Your ta-tas are gonna kill me!" Mayu's voice was muffled due to her mom's fierce hug. Good thing Ishikari Sheena understood because she released Mayu moments later. However, her hands still gripped her daughter's shoulders. "Mom…?"

"Do you… Do you have any idea how long you've been here?" Sheena questioned. Mayu blinked, and then shook her head. "I've been—your father, too—has been worried sick. Some thought you would never wake up."

"What are you talking about?"

"You were comatose for nearly a year, Mayu."

"… Get the heck out!" the daughter exclaimed. "I almost drowned, but I was out for _that_ long? I feel so… so _weak_!" Sheena scoffed and rolled her eyes. She removed herself from the hospital bed as she wiped at her wet face. "Please tell me you sued the guy who did this to me! Where's dad?"

"Of course I did," Sheena crossed her arms as if the daughter should have known better. "Who do you think paid for your medical bills? Not me, that's for sure. And your father is at work right now." She frowned. "He had to distract himself in order not to get completely depressed." Well, now Mayu felt guilty. Her poor sensitive father… Who knows how he took this news. Well, she was back now, so he could stop worrying. Suddenly, the woman sharply turned her gaze. Mayu blinked in confusion. "Did you… have any strange dreams, Mayu?"

"… I didn't think people could have dreams if they're in a coma." Sheena raised a fist to show that she didn't like the sarcastic tone. Mayu only cowered in mild fear. "No, mother, I did not." The woman sighed out in relief. Again, the younger female blinked in confusion.

"Good, so it's not like last time," she murmured.

"Last time…?" Mayu repeated. "Oh, when I ran into that car? Yeah, that dream was awesome. Pity I didn't get the same dream." The girl blinked. "But I could have sworn dreams didn't come with unconsciousness. Weird." Sheena frowned. Mayu's eyebrows furrowed. For several moments, the two merely stared at one another. Then Mayu scratched her cheek. "Okay, so… Anyway, could you call dad? Surely he needs to know, right?" Mutely, her mother nodded her head, and then stiffly headed out of the room whilst pulling out a cell phone. "What was that about?" Mayu asked herself after a few seconds.

After several minutes of humming and playing with her—longer—hair, Ishikari Sheena reentered the room. The woman picked up the dropped papers and beige folders—those probably had something to do with her job as Sheena was a workaholic. Often, her father would boast that his wife was the best lawyer in Japan. Really, Mayu just thought he was trying to get on her good side. Once finished with the small task, Sheena came to sit by Mayu's bedside. "Your father will be here soon," she stated. Mayu nodded. "Also, the doctors said that you should rest easy for awhile. That means no advancing in rank." At her look of utter dismay, Sheena chuckled. She was so sympathetic, right? "It's not like you can be up and about so soon, anyway. Mayu, it's time to _wiggle you big toe_."

"What…?" Then she caught the reference. In response, she tried to move her legs. Nothing happened. "What the friggin' hell—heck?" Mayu quickly amended what she said due to her mother's glare. "Heck is what I meant." Sheena snorted.

"I _did_ tell you it's been almost a year. Of course you're going to need rehab in order to get your body functioning properly again. That'll take a couple of _months_. Well," the woman grinned. "Unless, of course, you're determined to kill someone named Bill."

"_Har-dy har har_…" Mayu scowled. "This is so monkey nuts."

"That better had not have been cussing."

0-0

So here it is, dear reviewers, the end of _My Life as Hyuga Hinata_. But what's this? Were your eyes deceiving you, or can Mayu not remember anything about her lastest experience in that parallel world? _Hahaha_! You'll have to find out in the sequel, titled _My Life as Ishikari Mayu_—the third installment of this unexpectedly popular story.

But hey! While you're waiting for that first chapter, how about you check out some of my other stories? Not to toot my own horn, but I have other characters just as awesome as Mayu. Trust me, if you like her, you won't be disappointed with others. Still, some of you might not like the plots of the other ones, so may I suggest a story known as _Team 7: Revolution_? It's basically a continuation of what would happen to Mayu had she not have left the body of Sakura. It's quite the adventure, let me tell you. And man those plot twists? Everyone Like Me is an excellent writer and he definitely does my character, Ishikari Mayu, justice. Please check it out.

… Yes, I have shamelessly pimped out my works and another person. _Fufufu_!

Review to tell me your thoughts on the sequel?


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